By Rahil Nora Chopra
After RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav signalled a possible boycott of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections over alleged discrepancies in the voters roll, the Congress said every option is open. Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters, Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru said the INDIA bloc will deliberate on the matter. “India Bloc partners will discuss it (poll boycott) and take a decision. Our all options are open,” he said. Allavaru also dared the Election Commission to verify the process: “Check 1000 voters randomly in every constituency and if the process is found right, Congress will get convinced by SIR”. The INDIA bloc parties have been protesting against the SIR in Parliament as well, demanding a discussion on the contentious exercise which has also been challenged in the Supreme Court .Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the ECI of cheating claiming he had 100 percent proof of the poll body’s cheating in a Karnataka seat”. While the SC will take up the Bihar SIR for hearing on 28 July next. On 10 July, the court had asked the EC to consider Aadhaar, ration card, and voter IDs as identity proofs under SIR.
OPPOSITION PARTIES TRYING TO FIELD A COMMON CANDIDATE IN VICE PRESIDENT ELECTION
The vice-presidential election schedule is about to be announced soon but still the Opposition parties haven’t begun a formal conversation on their position in the poll. However, the I.N.D.I.A bloc will be exploring a consensus candidate. Non-Congress Opposition parties have signalled that the Congress should not impose its candidate on the bloc, as it could alienate parties like the AAP, YSR Congress, BRS, BJD, AIMIM, and the ASP (Kanshiram). While the V-P election’s outcome is a foregone conclusion, with the ruling BJP-led NDA having the support of 427 MPs in an electoral college of 782 at present, the Opposition wants to force a political and ideological contest. This time, the I.N.D.I.A bloc could get 323 votes, including 12 from AAP MPs, owing to the improved electoral performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The Opposition could increase votes if it manages to sway non-aligned parties like the YSR Congress, BRS, BJD, AIMIM, ASP (Kanshiram). A decision on the Opposition candidate is likely to come after the NDA names its preference.
RAM NATH THAKUR OF JD(U) IS A POSSIBLE NDA CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT
The vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar’s resignation surprised the entire nation. Speculation is rife about his potential successor. The front runner from the NDA camp is Janata Dal—United’s two-time Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar, Ram Nath Thakur. He is the son of socialist icon, Bharat Ratna recipient, and former Bihar Chief Minister Karpoori Thakur. Ram Nath Thakur belongs to the Nai (barber) community under the Extremely Backwards Class (EBC) category, which constitutes more than 36 per cent of Bihar’s population. His candidature, if finalised, assumes much weightage and volume considering the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar’s name too has been doing round for the post. However, the JD-U chief will have to leave the CM chair, months before the elections. So this seems unlikely
CONGRESS AND NATIONAL CONFERENCE ARE HAVING FRICTIONS IN JAMMU & KASHMIR
Despite being in a formal alliance in Jammu and Kashmir, stress between the National Conference (NC) and the Congress have once again surfaced with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah publicly expressing discontent over the Congress’s decision to launch a campaign for the restoration of statehood without any approval and consent of its ally. On July 17, Lok Sabha leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding statehood restoration by bringing a bill in Parliament’s ongoing monsoon session. The Congress staged a protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar where they claimed that the Centre was going back on its word after making repeated promises to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Reacting to the Congress’s calls to join protests, Omar said the party should have spoken to them first, but they were reading about it in the newspapers”. While both NC and Congress have publicly maintained that their alliance is firm, the recurring rifts from cabinet participation to policy priorities raise questions about its sustainability in the long run
JD(U) MP GIRIDHARI YADAV’S COMMENT ON SIR ANGERS NDA LEADERS
JD(U) MP Giridhari Yadav has flayed the Election Commission over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, saying that the exercise will raise questions on the verdict of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The remark has come up specially at a time when the opposition parties, especially the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), have criticised the roll revision and demanded a discussion over the issue in the Parliament. While Congress immediately latched on to the remarks and said it is not coincidence and it is a reflection of the scale and seriousness of this electoral fraud”. On the other hand, the Janata Dal (U) issued a show-cause notice to party MP Giridhari Yadav over his remarks on EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. The JD(U) said that such statements bring embarrassment to the party with reference to election year. The SIR issue has widened the political divide ahead of the elections scheduled to be held later this year in Bihar. While the NDA, including the BJP and JD(U) have supported the EC’s exercise, Opposition parties like the RJD, Congress and others have named it a draconian move targeting at disenfranchising lakhs of genuine voters in the state. (IPA Service)
