By Rahil Nora Chopra
The political activity in Uttar Pradesh is heated up as senior Samajwadi Party leader Ravidas Mehrotra remarked that SP president Akhilesh Yadav should lead the I.N.D.I.A. alliance in place of Congress. Congress Lok Sabha MP Imran Masood, however, quickly countered the remark saying that Rahul Gandhi was the undisputed leader of the grand opposition alliance. With 99 MPs, Congress is the second largest party in the Lok Sabha and currently leads the INDIA bloc. However, party’s drubbing in Bihar polls where it won just six seats out of the 61 it contested has triggered murmurs about a leadership change in the opposition alliance. Evidently, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has suggested that the INDIA bloc requires a change in leadership and its supremo Mamata Banerjee should be considered for the same. Several allies have conveyed to Congress that the national alliance cannot succeed without a transparent mechanism for decision-making, which is currently missing. For now, the disquiet is open, the demands for change are growing and much louder now. The Bihar verdict has transformed what was once a temporary unease into a full-blown identity crisis for the INDIA alliance.
CONGRESS TO HOLD BIG RALLY AT RAMLILA MAIDAN, DELHI AGAINST SIR OF ELECTORAL ROLLS
Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Congress accused the Election Commission of India of a sinister design to destroy democracy and said that its conduct during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in 12 states and union territories was deeply disappointing. The party also announced that it will walk the streets to protest against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories (UTs), and plans to conduct a massive rally in the first week of December at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. The decision was taken at a meeting in New Delhi of the party’s top leadership including party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal and the 12 Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chiefs from states where the SIR is underway. Party President Mallikarjun Kharge issued a sharp statement, laying the blame for potential manipulation is squarely at the ECI’s door. “We firmly believe that the BJP is attempting to weaponise the SIR process for ‘Vote Chori’,” While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reportedly raised concerns about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process during a meeting with AICC office-bearers from 12 states and Union Territories where electoral roll revision is ongoing.
CONGRESS’S ANTA BYPOLL WIN IN RAJASTHAN IS A BIG MORALE BOOSTER
Congress’s Anta bypoll win in Rajasthan has been described as a major setback for Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, as Anta is considered one of Raje’s key influence areas. Adding to the significance, her son and Jhalawar–Baran MP Dushyant Singh served as the election observer, and Anta falls within his Lok Sabha constituency. Both Bhajanlal and Raje had collectively campaigned for the party’s candidate, Morpal Suman. Congress candidate and former minister Pramod Jain Bhaya defeated the BJP’s Morpal Suman by 15,612 votes, turning what was expected to be a comfortable saffron hold into a stinging defeat. For the BJP, the message is blunt in Rajasthan, a lot of work remains to be done. While for the Congress, Anta is not just a victory but a symbolic reclaiming of relevance in a state where it has been struggling to rebuild momentum.
JAN SURAAJ PARTY LEADER PRASHANT KISHOR OBSERVED DAYLONG FAST ON THURSDAY AFTER BIHAR POLL DEBACLE
As Nitish Kumar was sworn in as Chief Minister of the State for a historic 10th time on November 20, the founder of Jan Suraaj Party (JSP) Prashant Kishor on Thursday sat on a day-long silent fast at the Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram in West Champaran district. After the drubbing, Kishor put up a brave face and indicated that his party would begin afresh in Bihar. Kishor said “I will urge the Nitish government to give ₹2 lakh to the 1.5 crore women in the next six months as promised, otherwise it will become clear that the money was not given to them under a scheme but, to buy their votes,”. The ruling NDA swept the polls, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. Jan Suraaj, making its debut in electoral politics, could not win even a single seat but it has marked his presence as a political player.
MAHARASHTRA OPPOSITION IS DIVIDED OVER ALLIANCE STRATEGY FOR BMC ELECTIONS
With the Congress announcement to fight the upcoming Mumbai civic body elections alone, the Mumbai unit chief Varsha Gaikwad, along with Congress MLAs from Mumbai Amin Patel, Aslam Shaikh, and Jyoti Gaikwad and other leaders met NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar to discuss a tie-up with its natural ally. The Congress said it wants to fight the Mumbai municipal elections with like-minded parties and that a decision about the tie-up will be made soon. Party insiders revealed that the Congress is willing to offer 15-20 seats to NCP(SP). In the last BMC elections, the then-united NCP won nine seats, while Congress secured 31 seats. Uddhav Thackeray is currently in talks with his cousin Raj Thackeray for a possible alliance in the BMC polls. Although no formal announcement has been made, it is expected that if the Raj Thackeray–led MNS joins Uddhav’s Shiv Sena, they would become part of the broader MVA—a move that many Congress leaders are not liking.. Sources also said that NCP(SP) is in parallel discussions with Shiv Sena (UBT) regarding alliances for the BMC and other local body elections. Once the BMC election dates are announced, NCP(SP) is expected to take a final call based on the prevailing political situation. (IPA Service)
Big Technological Changes In Employment Market Widening Income Divide 