Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), alliance in Maharashtra is facing internal differences of opinion over who should be the alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. On one hand, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance will decide on a chief minister only after the assembly elections are done in Maharashtra under a joint leadership. Pawar shared that the decision will be based entirely on the number of seats won by the MVA partners Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP). On the other hand, the Uddhav Thackeray camp has repeatedly pushed its demand to declare Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray as the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) face for the chief minister’s post. While Congress also supported the stand taken by Pawar. “We are going together as MVA and based on the number of seats the decision on the chief minister will be taken after the polls,” reacted Nana Patole, the state Congress president. It is obvious that the issue of the future CM face is causing some internal stress among the MVA partners.
PRASHANT KISHOR FLOATS JAN SURAAJ PARTY AHEAD OF BIHAR BYPOLLS
With the October 2 launch date of the Jan Suraaj party, the poll consultant-turned-politician Prashant Kishor will be testing political waters in the upcoming by-polls to four Assembly seats in Bihar. Kishor had said that his organisation, Jan Suraaj, may contest the by-elections after getting a party symbol. He has also already announced plans to factor in caste, distribution tickets proportionate to the population of different castes and rotating the command of the party among various castes. Moreover, he is also recruiting sidelined politicians from different political parties. By-polls to the four Assembly seats, that of Ramgarh, Tarari, Imamganj and Belaganj, are due as sitting MLAs of the seats have been elected as MPs in the Lok Sabha election earlier this year. Of the four seats, Ramgarh and Belaganj were won by Rashtriya Janata Dal MLAs Sudhakar Singh and Surendra Yadav, respectively, in the previous Assembly election. But they vacated the seats after being elected as MPs from Buxar and Jehanabad seats respectively. Tarari was won by Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) candidate Sudama Prasad, who is now the MP from Karakat. NDA ally and Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, who was MLA from Imamganj seat, stepped down after his election from Gaya Lok Sabha seat. He is currently Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet. Dates for the by-elections, though, have not been announced yet.
CHIRAG PASWAN COMES OF AGE, ASSERTS HIMSELF IN MODI 3.0 CABINET
Union minister of food processing industries in the Modi 3.0 government and the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Chirag Paswan, once a compliant junior partner, has started to assert his influence amidst the declining fortunes of the BJP, which now lacks a majority in the Lok Sabha and relies on the support of allies to remain in power. Paswan has backed the call for a nationwide caste census, a demand flagged aggressively by the leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi. Paswan was the first leader from within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to speak out against the Centre’s lateral entry scheme. The union minister said: “As a matter of fact, my views always reflected the government’s stand. A case in point is sending the Waqf Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee.” Many BJP leaders feel that Paswan is indirectly strengthening the opposition’s agenda and blamed BJP leadership for giving so much importance to Paswan by rewarding him with a cabinet berth, which is unusual for a first-time minister.
WAR OF WORDS IN UP AFTER SC CHASTISES CM YOGI’S BULLDOZER JUSTICE
Political temperature is soaring high in Uttar Pradesh after the Supreme Court’s recent comments on the controversial practice of “bulldozer justice”, championed by the Yogi government. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) President Mayawati, in a statement, emphasised the need for valid legal action over the destruction of properties. While Akhilesh Yadav questioned the legality of the Chief Minister’s residence, asking, “Has the map for the CM’s residence been approved? They misuse bulldozers for personal gain. Bulldozers have no brain, only a steering wheel”. Yadav further declared that once the SP returns to power in 2027, these bulldozers will be directed towards Gorakhpur, Adityanath’s political stronghold. Soon after, CM Yogi Adtiyanath hit back at Yadav’s remarks, saying that not everyone has the “courage or capability” to handle a bulldozer. He pointed out that “operating a bulldozer requires both heart and mind, implying that only those with determination and capability can manage such tasks”.
AFTER RAHUL’S PLEA, CONGRESS-AAP MAY ALLY IN HARYANA ASSEMBLY POLLS
Congress has begun negotiations with AAP and other parties for an alliance in the Haryana Assembly elections after a passionate plea from the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who appeared keen to take forward the I.N.D.I.A. experiment to states by conceding some space to potential allies. According to sources, Congress seems to be ready to part with five seats to AAP and may give one each to Samajwadi Party and the CPI(M) in Haryana. However, AAP is asking for ten seats and its demand is based on the argument that it fought one Lok Sabha seat in Haryana in alliance with Congress, which consists of nine Assembly seats. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also shares Rahul’s view that a larger coalition is needed to take on the BJP and I.N.D.I.A. bloc should not be seen as fragmented at any level. Meanwhile, according to sources in the AAP, talks for an alliance between the two parties in Delhi are also underway, though still in the initial stages. But the Delhi Congress leaders are not in favour of an alliance in the state. (IPA Service)
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