Fly on the Wall
BJP Uneasy, Congress elated with MP Priyanka
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may have chosen a safe haven in deep south Wayanad in Kerala to make her parliamentary debut. But her maiden speech in Lok Sabha last week in chaste Hindi with pauses where needed, broad smile and snide remarks reminded of the good old days in parliament. If she poked fun at times, she also punched where it really hurts. Though she mostly spoke from the written notes and texts, she was spontaneous at times giving a clear impression that the Congress may have got a match to take on the BJP though she was sitting in the 4th row. The Nehru-Gandhi clan’s latest entrant may force the BJP strategists to sit up and devise a way to counter her in the days to come. Priyanka maintained her composure and never got distracted or lost her cool. In her 32-minute, laced with pointed barbs and critiques, she not only took on the BJP but today's “Raja (Modi) who likes to change his attire frequently, but does not like criticism or goes in disguise to mingle with people to get a feel of what's happening on the ground”.
Comparisons between the Gandhi siblings are inevitable with the BJP MPs conceding Priyanka’s fluency in Hindi and political acumen surpassed her brother's delivery. Interestingly, both of them spoke on the same subjects on different days and she stood out. Most senior leaders in the Congress have good words about her as she is amenable, good listener and persuasive. She may not be a threat to her brother's career. But a clamour for her political promotion within the party is bound to grow if she continues to perform the way she did during the Winter session of Parliament.
A Middle Path for ONOP
It clearly emerged that the BJP did not get two-third majority in the Lok Sabha when the Constitutional amendment bill was put to vote at the introduction stage. No 2/3 majority was needed at that stage. But the NDA parties had issued a whip and it was the first trial of strength. Clearly, a lot more ground has to be covered by the Modi government if it wants to achieve One Nation One Poll (ONOP) goal. The issue has been referred to the JPC and the government will get plenty of time to muster a 2/3 majority to ensure the passage of the bill in the months to come. The government claimed that 32 political parties supported ONOP before the Ramnath Kovind panel. But it must be borne in mind that these parties fell in line when the BJP had a massive mandate of its own 303 Lok Sabha Mps and 363 with allies. But the political situation changed after the 2024 Lok Sabha poll as the JP failed to get a clear majority and with allies its below 300 seats. It may win a few more assemblies in the months to come. But no regional party including its allies are comfortable with this situation.
Therefore, several saner elements have suggested a “middle path”. They have suggested that the Lok Sabha polls may be held as scheduled in May 2029 and Assembly polls across 36 States and Union Territories across India be held two and a half years later. The state polls will take care of the regional aspirations as well as reflect voters' mood towards the ruling party at the Centre. The regional parties are reluctant to swim or sink with national parties and in a federal structure, they too are allowed to have their say, say these voices. This middle path may find takers across the board if the current dispensation fails to muster the desired mandate.
A Third Option
There is a third formula too. The next Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in May 2029. The Assembly polls for Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections then as per schedule. The Assembly polls in Haryana and Maharashtra will be held in October and November 2029. These two states are governed by the BJP and Assembly polls in these states can be advanced by a few months and held along with the Lok Sabha. Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are scheduled to go to polls in November - December 2028 now. These states are currently ruled by the BJP and these can be postponed by a few months through other options available under the existing laws itself. With these, at least half of India will witness simultaneous polls.
This will leave Jharkhand & J&K (October 2029), Telangana and Mizoram (October 2028), Karnataka (May 2028) Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland (February 2028) and Tamil Nadu, Kerala, UP, Manipur, Punjab, Himachal, West Bengal, Bihar (2026 & 2027) etc out of ONOP. These states can also be clubbed in a gradual manner as some of them are ruled by the BJP or its allies.
BJP-INDIA
in the same boat
The BJP taunted INDIA bloc leaders for their failure to elect their Leaders of Opposition in Haryana and Maharashtra. It's been almost two months since Congress lost the polls and ended up with 37 seats in the House of 90. But the party has failed to elect its Leader in the State Assembly largely because there is no unanimity. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is unwilling to give up and so are his opponents. The high command is silent. The situation is precarious in Maharashtra where the three MVA partners have yet to come to terms with the results. But the BJP is no different when it comes to Jharkhand where it came down from a high horse as horse-trading failed to fetch votes. It has a battery of claimants for the LoP's post. The leadership is keeping its fingers crossed as the search is on for a new tribal leader.
