Narayan Rane to contest Lok Sabha polls
The grapevine has it that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi wants that of the 18 Union Ministers hailing from Rajya Sabha, at least 10 of them should contest Lok Sabha polls in May 2024. Modi is also keen that of the 92 BJP MPs from Rajya Sabha at least 25-30 should enter the electoral fray. The prominent names emerging from the BJP’s closet from Maharashtra include MSME Minister Narayan Rane and Minister of State Ramdas Athawale (RPI-Athawale). The third term Rajya Sabha MP and Leader of the House Piyush Goyal who is holding several key portfolios is also from Maharashtra. But he has also been working as a back-room boy during the Lok Sabha polls and his services are vital for the polls in 2024 in Delhi. However, 8 other Union Ministers belonging to other states that may be pitched for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam), Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya (Gujarat), Dharmendra Pradhan (Odisha), Jyotiraditya Scindia (Madhya Pradesh), V Muraleedharan (Kerala) and couple of others. Among the MPs who may be pitched include Sushil Modi (Bihar), Saroj Pandey (Chhattisgarh), Neeraj Shekhar (UP) and others.
Amrinder Singh may not replace Koshiyari?
There is a strong buzz in political circles that former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amrinder Singh may be sent to Maharashtra as Governor. With Bhagat Singh Koshiyari expressing his desire to quit, a search has begun for his successor. But those considered close to the Modi Establishment say that the BJP may not like to send the Captain to Maharashtra as his services may be needed by the BJP at least until the Lok Sabha polls in May 2024. The BJP could win only two seats (Guradaspur and Hoshiarpur) and that too in alliance with the Akali Dal. With Akali Dal walking out of the NDA, the BJP leadership is working hard to galvanize the party cadre and expand its base. Secondly, Capt. Amrinder Singh’s wife Parneet Kaur who continues to be Congress MP from Patiala, may cross over to the BJP once the elections are announced in March, 2024 or abdicate her seat in favour of her son Raninder Singh. The BJP is keen to win at least 6-8 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and wooing leaders from all parties in Punjab. Recently, Punjab’s former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, a close relative of the Badals, joined the BJP.
Rising graph of Fadnavis
The graph of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the BJP continues to rise. Though he missed the Chief Ministerial post due to political compulsions, his political clout is rising by the day. In a surprise move, the BJP high command nominated him to the all powerful Central Election Committee. The move sent a major signal as no Chief Minister of the BJP-ruled states was given the place of pride in the CEC. As if this was not enough, Devendra Fadnavis was asked to move economic resolution at the BJP’s National Executive Committee meet in Delhi causing uneasiness among seniors in the party. More interestingly, the political resolution was moved by Union Law Minister Kiran Rijiju. Obviously, the party high command wants to send a clear signal that seniority can’t be the sole criteria for persons to move political and economic resolutions. Two years ago when the BJP held its national executive meeting in Delhi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was chosen to move the political resolution during the proceedings. He was the only chief minister who attended the meeting in person while the others joined via video conferencing.
Utter
confusion in Bihar
Three
developments in Bihar are worth watching closely; one that the Union
home ministry decided to give Z-category security cover to LJP (Ram
Vilas Paswan) MP Chirag Paswan; 2) Banner of revolt by Janata
Dal (U) Parliament Board chairman Upendra Kushwaha against Nitish
Kumar and 3) Bihar BJP leaders suddenly declaring "no truck"
with JD (U) after remaining silent against Nitish Kumar. The straw in
the Camel's back came when Janata Dal (U) decided not to go to
Srinagar to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi.
The JD (U) leaders rather went a step further and declared that why
should they go there as its Congress Party's internal program.
Political pundits are baffled as to what Nitish Kumar is up to after
dumping the BJP and joining hands with Congress and RJD to remain in
power comfortably. The BJP, meanwhile, is cooking JD (U)'s goose and
may engineer some defections when Lok Sabha polls draw near. The
Centre’s benevolence towards Chirag Paswan and offer to send Paras
Paswan as Governor may be part of BJP's larger game plan to bring
unity in two factions of the LJP. Chirag Paswan has emerged as a
dynamic leader and is a known baiter of the Bihar CM. The BJP needs
six percent of Bihar’s Passi votes. With the 2024 elections in
sight, the saffron party plans to use Paswan against Nitish and unite
the two groups of LJP soon. Upendra Kushwaha is also being
wooed though he wants the Deputy Chief Minister's post. But Nitish is
delaying it and this infuriates him. But
Nitish is delaying it and this infuriates him.
