With the feud between Janata Dal (United) and LJP is getting deeper, it has become the latest headache for the BJP leadership. After he had to skip a crucial NDA meeting for which he had received an invitation, LJP leader Chirag Paswan has left no stone unturned to make it clear that he must be given the accord and respect of an NDA ally at the Centre. Despite the JD(U) objecting to it, the BJP hasn’t yet made its decision known. While the BJP high command had discussed the names of the BJP member who could be inducted into the Nitish Kumar cabinet, the LJP-JD(U) face-off has been a major hurdle on NDA’s political pathway in Bihar. According to sources, JD(U) leadership is simply incensed and has conveyed it to Amit Shah to avoid taking Chirag Paswan into the Union cabinet in lieu of his deceased father, Ram Vilas Paswan. JD(U) has even threatened the BJP that it would prefer to leave the alliance if Paswan is accorded more relevance at the Centre. JD(U) has also declared that in such a situation, it would like to put a stake in the West Bengal assembly election, upsetting and cutting into BJP’s vote-share in the eastern state.
BJP PRESIDENT NADDA STRUGGLES TO COME OUT OF SHAH’S SHADOW
JP Nadda recently completed one year as the national president of the BJP. While Nadda has been trying hard to step out of the shadow of his predecessor Amit Shah, he has not succeeded yet. According to BJP sources, in all important matters of national significance, it is undoubtedly Amit Shah who continues to have the final say. Many top party leaders habitually rush to Shah before meeting Nadda as a formality. In the coming assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Shah is expectedly playing the role of the chief strategist, while Nadda has only been deployed as a speech giver. To his credit, Nadda has been working round the clock, travelling across the country addressing party workers and general public. However, without a clear strategy, he’s still struggling to emerge out of Shah’s gigantic shadow.
GAMES HARISH RAWAT PLAYS TO BE CONGRESS’ UTTARAKHAND CM FACE
Infighting in Uttarakhand Congress is at the peak. Former chief minister Harish Rawat is trying to mount pressure on the Congress high command to project him as the CM face before the 2022 assembly election. Once again, Harish Rawat has sprung another surprise by saying that he would not contest the next assembly elections. However, soon after his supporters urged him to reconsider, the former CM said that he would “abide by the decision taken by the national leadership regarding his candidature.” The former CM, who is presently on a tour to Kumaon, however, said that as far as his personal wish went, he did not want to contest in the 2022 assembly elections. “The final decision, however, rests in the hands of the party’s national leadership. Being a loyal soldier of the Congress, I will follow whatever instructions are given to me,” Rawat said. The former CM has been on an aggressive poll campaign mode and in the last two months, has covered a number of districts and held interactions with a multitude of people. Earlier Harish Rawat has made the statement that party should announced the name of Chief Minister face before the coming 2022 assembly election. Uttarakhand Congress Chief Pritam Singh and opposition leader in the assembly Indira Hridayesh objected to the proposal and announced that the Congress has never fought the election in the name of chief minister candidate.
BJP WANTS POKHRIYAL AS CM IN UTTARAKHAND
In view of the coming 2022 assembly election in Uttarakhand, the BJP high command is thinking of replacing the chief minister before the elections due to anti-incumbency against the CM Trivendra Singh Rawat. Union HRD Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank is reportedly going to be made the next chief minister of Uttarakhand and will replace Trivendra Singh Rawat, according to top BJP sources. In fact, the BJP is also thinking of projecting Nishank as the CM face to fight the assembly polls in 2022. (IPA)