Fly On the Wall
Sharing the Booty
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known to be a solo player and a master of his own. Those who dealt with him in Gujarat when he was Chief Minister, say that he doesn't like dissenting voices and those who differed with him, paid a heavy price. The list of these persons is very long. But Modi created a countrywide fervor by bringing a new working culture. It was on the back of his 13 years' stint as CM that he became the first leader in 30 years to get a full majority in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He improved his tally further in 2019 and took the BJP to new heights winning 303 seats. But 2024 gave a major blow to the 'Brand Modi' as the BJP was reduced to 240 Lok Sabha seats. No doubt, Modi formed a coalition government with 293 Mps. But the BJP remains in a denial mode and continue projecting as if there is no difference between the Modi 2.0 and the Modi 3.0 governments. Political analysts say these are early days and as it will take time to reconcile that there is difference between the Modi 2.0 and Modi 3.0 governments as these are early days. The BJP's allies are also busy sorting out their own affairs. However, many of them have tasted Modi government's style of functioning during the past 10 years. They are aware as to how the BJP treated its allies and others during this period. But they have started talking about issues of their interests and will soon demand their pound of flesh in appointments of Governors, chairmen and members in commissions and tribunals, directors in PSUs etc. During his second term in office, Modi's Establishment did not even listen to the wishes of the RSS functionaries in such appointments. The BJP will be under pressure to share the booty with its allies.
Why
the BJP will be on its toes
The BJP may have created history by forming a government at the Centre for third consecutive terms. But it will have to pass the muster again in 2024 to establish its supremacy. The party has lost a lot of ground and a question mark has been put on its invincibility as it ended up winning 240 Lok Sabha seats, 32 short of a majority. In order to regain its clout, the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to win at least two out of three Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Haryana. Though Assembly polls are likely to take place in J&K also, the government is toying with the idea of holding it before undertaking similar exercise in other three states. Interestingly, the BJP is ruling these three states and was going strong before the Lok Sabha outcome shocker. The BJP and its allies miserably failed to keep the momentum in Maharashtra and Haryana and barely managed to win a majority of Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand. The Mahayuti lost majority of Lok Sabha seats to the shock and disbelief and has created a lot of uncertainties among the three partners; the BJP-Sena-NCP. The BJP's only silver lining is that the Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray is no longer the messiah of Hindutva forces as he is in alliance with Sharad Pawar and the Congress who claim to be the representative of "secular" forces in the state. Similarly, the BJP has a problem in hand in Haryana as well where it has been in power for ten years. But it lost five out of the ten Lok Sabha seats despite changing the Chief Minister and won two seats with a very thin margin. The BJP has made three Union Ministers from the tiny state to win Assembly polls. In Jharkhand, the BJP will have to face a resurgent INDIA Bloc though it won 9 out of 14 seats. Any adverse outcome in these states will create more uncertainties in the NDA alliance.
How
Jairam Ramesh made a mark
Jairam
Ramesh, former Union Minister and four term Rajya Sabha MP, proved
his mettle this General Elections by his astute handling of media
strategy and showed his communication skills as head of the Congress'
Media Department. He has been a solo player wherever he worked
during the past 45 years. His first job in India was as Assistant to
economist Lovraj Kumar at the Bureau of Industrial Costs and Prices
in 1979 and never looked back. After graduating from IIT Bombay in
1975 with a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering and studying at
Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College, he started on the
Doctoral program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology too. He
held key portfolios in the Manmohan Singh government from 2009 to
2014. But he was in search of a role after the Congress lost power
and waited for ten long years to prove his skills and built a
narrative to counter the BJP successfully. This was the first time
that the BJP's media department met its match in Jairam Ramesh as he
was working 24X7. Rahul Gandhi virtually gave him a free hand
irrespective of a few contrary voices. Jairam Ramesh brooks no
nonsense and perhaps among a couple of those leaders whom Rahul
Gandhi listens to.
