Fly on the wall
Harish Gupta
The Lone Warrior: Yogi
Yogi Adityanath’s detractors in the BJP may have hoped to clip his wings ahead of next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. Denying him a free hand in ticket distribution was seen in some quarters as a way of keeping the chief minister in check. But the exercise has a larger question hanging over it: can the BJP afford to marginalise the man who has become the face of its politics in UP?
Yogi appears determined not to get drawn into a power struggle over tickets. In the recent Rajya Sabha nominations, contrary to popular perception, he did not walk into the high command’s room with a list of preferred candidates for the eight seats the BJP was expected to win. Instead, he reportedly told the central leadership to choose whomever it considered suitable. The broad approach was to field fresh faces. Only later, after being persuaded, did Yogi suggest a couple of names.
The episode offers a glimpse into his political style. This is hardly the first time questions have been raised about his independent stature within the party. Since emerging as a leader in his own right in 2017, Yogi has had to navigate the competing pulls of the central leadership, the state organisation and the RSS. The Sangh’s support for him has its own nuances, but his place in the BJP’s UP calculations remains difficult to ignore.
His appeal rests on a combination of an uncompromising law-and-order image, a staunch Hindutva profile and a reputation for personal probity among his supporters. For the BJP, the challenge is to balance organisational control with the political authority Yogi has built. The ticket battle, therefore, may be less about who gets to choose candidates than about a bigger question: how much room can the BJP give its lone warrior without appearing threatened by his growing stature?
Murmu Waits for Rahul’s Evidence
A fortnight has passed, but Rahul Gandhi’s promised evidence of “vote chori” remains missing from the political radar. After meeting President Droupadi Murmu, Rahul said she had asked the Opposition to provide proof of its allegations against the Election Commission. He promised that the evidence would follow. Yet the Opposition has given no indication of when it plans to return to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The delay raises an obvious question: if the allegations were so serious, why was the evidence not ready when they were made?
The episode began when opposition MPs assembled in Parliament’s Central Hall before meeting the President. After the meeting, Rahul also suggested that the President had acknowledged the Opposition’s concerns. However, receiving a memorandum is not the same as endorsing its allegations.
Is the Opposition still gathering evidence, or was the promise made before the supporting material was ready?
The questions are pertinent because Rahul and other opposition leaders have leveled serious allegations of “vote chori” against the Election Commission. Such charges demand evidence, not merely political assertions. Maybe, Team Rahul is busy gathering pieces from states which are falling in bits with many state CEOs issuing fresh orders to change procedures and rules. The ball is now in the Opposition’s court: when will Rahul produce the evidence he promised?
Why Congress Keeps Raihan at Arm’s Length
Is the Congress leadership wary of a premature political spotlight on Raihan Vadra? The controversy over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s son’s photography exhibition has exposed an intriguing dilemma for the party: how to defend him without fueling speculation about his political future. Raihan’s photographs documenting youth protests were removed from a Rajasthan government-run venue in Delhi, triggering protests from Priyanka and other Congress leaders. Yet the party’s initial response appeared carefully calibrated, with senior party leader Pawan Khera stressing that Raihan was an individual in his own right and all questions were directed to him.
The Youth Congress dropped its plans to hold Raihan's exhibits on streets of Lutyens' Delhi at the last minute.
The hesitation raises a larger question. With Rahul Gandhi at the centre of the Congress leadership, does the party want to avoid any suggestion that another member of the Gandhi family is being prepared for a future role? Talk of Raihan eventually succeeding Rahul remains speculation, not an established succession plan. For now, Raihan insists he is an artist, not a politician. The Congress, meanwhile, faces a delicate balancing act: defending a family member without turning an art controversy into a debate about the dynasty’s next generation.
BJP High Command’s Swift Retreat
The BJP high command appears to be in damage-control mode after controversies involving Punjabi singers Daler Mehndi in Uttarakhand and Diljit Dosanjh in Delhi threatened to snowball into political liabilities.
With Punjab and Uttarakhand heading towards Assembly elections in 2027, prolonged friction with popular Punjabi cultural icons could give the Opposition an opportunity to accuse the BJP of disregarding Punjabi and Sikh sentiments. The leadership seems keen to prevent local controversies from becoming larger political battles.
The Uttarakhand row erupted when Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal allegedly humiliated Daler Mehndi at a public event by accusing him of being intoxicated. His brother, Mika Singh, strongly countered the allegation, saying Daler did not drink and was recovering from major surgery. Celebrities, including Anupam Kher, Kapil Sharma and Badshah, criticised the minister’s conduct.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami subsequently spoke to Daler about his health and expressed regret over the episode, helping contain the backlash. Delhi witnessed a separate controversy when permission for Diljit Dosanjh’s musical evening at Nehru Stadium was reportedly withdrawn at the last minute on security grounds, despite an earlier clearance.
The high command intervened in both the cases. For the BJP high command, the lesson is clear: it would rather contain the damage than let the Opposition set the narrative and ready to bend backward in no time.
