Political activity in Bihar is intensifying, with Union Minister for Food Processing Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) readies to flex its muscle and likely to stake claim in at least 35 to 40 seats in the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections due in October-November this year. Chirag aims to restore the past glory of the party and throw in his hat for the Chief Ministership in the state. With the BJP still struggling to create a pan-state leader, this would pitch Chirag in a direct battle with Tejashwi Yadav. The party has planned Sankalp Sabhas in different parts of the state beginning June 8 in a bid to strengthen its position ahead of the seat-sharing talks. Chirag has expressed his intention to contest the assembly election in the following words: “I don’t see myself in central politics for too long. My reason for entering politics was Bihar and the people of Bihar. I want to take forward my vision of ‘Bihar First, Bihari First’”. The LJP(RV) contested the 2020 Assembly elections outside the NDA over differences with JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar. Despite winning only one seat of the 135 it contested, the LJP had managed to inflict significant damage on the JD(U)’s poll performance. The LJP (RV) returned to the NDA fold in 2023, months ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The partnership paid off for Chirag his party won all five Lok Sabha seats it contested and he was inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government 3.0 as a minister. After turning the fortunes of the LJP(RV) around, Chirag is now expected to take an aggressive move in seat-sharing negotiations.
CHANDRASEKHAR AZAD, BSP’S AKASH ANAND: NEW CHALLENGERS IN UP THEATRE
Chandrashekhar Azad, the sitting MP from Nagina and leader of the Azad Samaj Party (ASP), is emerging as a prominent Dalit leader, whose significant influence is proving to be a powerful challenge for both Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP) and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). While Chandrashekhar has long been seen as a Dalit rights activist, his latest political moves, particularly his outreach to the Muslim community, indicate that he’s now setting his eyes on the core vote bank of the SP, and in doing so, redefining the Dalit-Muslim political dynamics in the state. On the other hand, SP and BSP are making all efforts to win the trust of Dalit vote. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has claimed that the “backward, Dalit, tribal, women and all our minority brothers” have decided that they will carry forward the strength of PDA. Meanwhile, BSP national president Mayawati has appointed her nephew Akash Anand as the party’s Chief National Coordinator. Anand represents a younger face that could help attract Dalit youth and boost the morale of BSP workers offering them direction. However, the real challenge lies in rebuilding the BSP’s organisational strength and reconnecting with its core base. Now, the major question is whether BSP or ASP would find any success in taking away the votes of either or both BJP and INDIA bloc.
CONGRESS-LED 16 INDIA BLOC PARTIES DEMAND PARL SESSION ON OP SINDOOR
Leaders from 16 opposition parties led by Congress demanded a special session of Parliament on Operation Sindoor and wrote a letter to PM Narendra Modi, as the INDIA Bloc parties held a meeting on the issue in Delhi. However, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP–SP) chose to boycott the meeting. The AAP’s national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda stated that AAP has played its part in helping the opposition reach 240 seats and now intends to operate independently. Both AAP and Congress have had a turbulent equation even as INDIA bloc partners. After much to-and-fro on seat-sharing talks and much resistance to the alliance from the Congress’s Delhi unit, the two parties finally did fight as allies in Delhi and also in Gujarat and Haryana in the Lok Sabha polls, but were pitted against each other in Punjab. On the other hand, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had already expressed his reservations over holding a Special Session of Parliament saying it is a sensitive and serious issue and discussing it in Parliament is not possible. The joint letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was signed by Congress, SP, TMC, DMK, Shiv Sena (UBT), RJD, J&K National Conference, CPI(M), IUML, CPI, RSP, JMM, VCK, Kerala Congress, MDMK, and CPI(ML).
TEJASHWI DEMANDS 85% RESERVATION FOR BIHAR’S DEPRIVED CLASSES
Bihar’s abuzz with political headlines ahead of the state Assembly polls later this year. RJD leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has demanded 85% reservation for all deprived classes in Bihar. In a two-page letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi has asked that a special session of the Assembly be convened to pass a Bill providing 85% reservation for all the deprived classes. A proposal to include it in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution should then be communicated to the Central government within three weeks, he said. The RJD’s support base in the state primarily comprises the OBC Yadavs and the minority Muslims, and Tejashwi has been aggressively trying to expand among the extremely backwards and sections of Dalits. Pressing for a new law to raise the reservation levels appeared to be an effort to woo the non-Yadav backwards, forecasts as a vote base of Nitish.
RAHUL’S ‘LAME HORSE’ JOKE SIGNALS ORGANISATIONAL REJIG IN MP CONGRESS
Signalling a major overhaul of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, senior leader Rahul Gandhi used a metaphor on Wednesday to express an outline on his revival plan. Taking a swipe at the party’s old guard, which has dominated the party for decades, Rahul Gandhi said: “There are three types of horses: A race horse, a wedding horse and a lame horse. The race horse will be put in the race, the wedding horse in a wedding and the lame one needs to be asked to retire.” The Congress has suffered repeated electoral setbacks in Madhya Pradesh, prompting calls for deeper organisational reform. Gandhi said the time has come to empower district presidents and hold them accountable for performance, giving a transparent picture of the party’s new expectations. Soon after he arrived in Bhopal, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also chaired a meeting of the state’s political affairs committee. (IPA Service)
