Fly on the wall
No Takers of BJP ticket! Are you sure ?
The BJP leadership is targeting 51% votes and 400 Lok Sabha seats in 2024 polls. The BJP leadership is aiming to deny tickets to more than 100 sitting LS Mps. But hold your breath as there is another side of the story too. It may even sound unbelievable but true and leaders are tight-lipped on the issue. The Fly learns that many of the sitting Mps have decided not to contest the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 and seek tickets. These are not the ones who are in their seventies or sixties and have been among the performing ones. No doubt, out of 303 sitting BJP Mps, majority of them came from either other parties or hardcore professionals who had their name or fame in their areas of operations. Some of these Mps have been hardcore loyalists of the BJP and have put in long years. But they find the going tough and unable to cope with the new style of functioning of the party. They feel that they are no more human beings but like machines which work as per Master's diktat. They have no life of their own and they have to work for the party 24X7. If they don't retweet top leaders' tweets, they would get a call; if they don't upload photos of what they did during the day or in their constituencies, they would get a stinker; if they found missing from their seats in parliament house between 11 am to 6 pm, they would get a written note; if they don't attend a party function, they would get a call. They find it extremely difficult to spend time with their families and sure to get a terse message from the top. The new “work culture” is taking a heavy toll on them mentally. They are always on their toes and decided to call it a day. Many of them have decided not to seek a re-nomination. One will have to wait before events unfold in the weeks to come.
Viksit Bharat or India shining Part 2
Prime Minister Modi's nation wide Viksit Bharat Yatra to touch every nook & corner to spread the government's massive welfare schemes benefiting nearly 50 crores plus people is hailed as a unique move. More than 2500 state-of-the-art buses have been deployed to publicize the government's achievements. But those who worked during the Atal Behari Vajpayee era say that the then PM also launched India Shining yatra on Raths which was the brainchild of the then Finance Minister Jaswant Singh in 2003. An advertising firm Grey Worldwide handled the campaign in 2003 and the government spent an estimated 20 million USD on publicity featuring the "India Shining" slogan. The campaign flopped as Vajpayee lost the 2004 Lok Sabha polls.
Modi may have drawn a leaf out of Vajpayee's book in respect of Raths. But he is handling it differently as buses are not merely for publicity. PM Modi dug out a virtually defunct Field Publicity Unit under the I&B Ministry created by late Indira Gandhi to showcase her government's achievements in rural areas. He sent a team of top officers along with buses to sort out problems of beneficiaries or left out ones as well. In order to take full political advantage, the BJP leadership directed its Mps and workers to go door to door to make a list of beneficiaries who have benefited from Centre's welfare schemes and help in resolving their problems too. The BJP teams are connected to call centers at every district to help them on the spot.
Rahul's No to Parliamentary Committees
The Lok Sabha seat may have been restored to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. But he has not opted to become a member of any of the standing parliamentary committees including External Affair or Defense. No reasons have been given by sources close to him who say that he has not even taken back possession of his Tughlak Lane bungalow either. Rahul Gandhi, it seems, wants to give full time to politics including his Bharat Nyay Yatra as he considers 2024 a “do or die” battle with the BJP.
Modi pitching from South !
There is considerable speculation that Prime Minister Modi may explore the possibility of contesting from a Southern state in 2024. One of the key reasons under consideration is if Modi contests from any of the four states, it will galvanize the party and voters in the entire region. In 2014 Modi opted for the Varanasi seat which was completely new for him instead of the safe seat in Gujarat. The move paid rich dividends to the party winning a record number of Lok Sabha seats from UP. Modi's repeated forays to Tamil Nadu, doling out funds for state's development and propagating Tamil Sangamam in Kanshi indicate that something is cooking. A senior BJP leader said these are mere speculations as no one can have an inkling of it. However, one thing is clear; Modi won't contest from two seats and therefore prospects of such an experiment are remote.
On the other hand, INDIA allies are also exploring the possibilities of putting up a common candidate against Modi from Varanasi. This proposal was discussed at one of the meetings of INDIA allies also. In 2019, there was a buzz that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might contest from Varanasi. However, the Congress fielded Ajay Rai while Samajwadi Party fielded Shalini Yadav. Modi won the elections bagging over 60 percent votes. But this time, it is clear that INDIA will field a common candidate. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is also exploring the possibilities of contesting from UP. He had announced that he would hold a rally in Varanasi but permission was not given.
