The Election Machine

Most political parties would have been pretty satisfied if they were able to secure the kind of majority the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did in 2019, but you can rest assured that BJP thinks it can do better. According to sources, party president JP Nadda had formed a group of senior ministers and MPs who visited the constituencies which the party failed to win in the 2019 General Election to understand why it couldn’t do so. Reports on these constituencies were apparently submitted to Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. And the two are believed to have chalked out a plan to win these over in 2024. As part of this plan, 40 constituencies have been identified for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally visit and campaign before the 2024 elections.

Game of Thrones

Ever since the high drama over whether Ashok Gehlot would be able to contest for the position of Congress chief, while keeping secure his hold on the seat of Rajasthan chief minister (CM), concluded, with Gehlot returning to Rajasthan, the question was always going to be about what fallout this episode would have back home. Would Sonia Gandhi still be amenable to having Gehlot continue as CM? Would Sachin Pilot not use this opportunity to stake his claim to power? The word from Rajasthan is that Gehlot’s position is secure for now. He is believed to have met Pilot and assured him a free hand in the party’s state organisation. Pilot has been seen touring throughout the state campaigning against BJP. Some think Sonia Gandhi played a role in having the two bury their differences. Pilot may have probably felt that with elections around the corner, it would be wiser to bide his time. Gehlot meanwhile continues to remain a crafty operator. According to rumours, even though the tussle between BJP and Congress in Rajasthan continues, he’s ensured he continues to maintain a good relationship with Modi.

Marchers’ Chatter

During the Bharat Jodo Yatra recently when the march was moving through the Karnataka-Kerala border, among the 117 marchers from Congress, Prajita Roy Choudhury caught many people’s eye. Better known as Pooja, she is one of only two Congress workers from West Bengal at the yatra, the other being her colleague Kiran Chhetri. Choudhury was frequently seen speaking with Rahul Gandhi. She was apparently asked by Gandhi what kind of impact could be expected if Congress allied with Trinamool Congress and CPM during the 2024 General Election. She is believed to have said Congress should go it alone. The Gandhi scion, however, kept a studied silence.

No Exits 

Ajit Doval is believed to have recently told Narendra Modi that he wants to retire. The former IPS officer of the 1968 batch and ex-chief of the Intelligence Bureau has been the National Security Advisor (NSA) since 2014, and, according to the buzz in South Block, he now wants to focus on his family and his health. But Modi is believed to have refused the request. The prime minister apparently told him that he is needed and that the next year is going to be particularly crucial since New Delhi is going to play host to a number of important and high-profile meetings from that of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, G20 Leaders’ Summit, among others.

Uddhav’s Ire 

It is no secret that Uddhav Thackeray isn’t particularly pleased with the Election Commission (EC) over the latter’s orders granting new names to the two Shiv Sena factions. After the EC froze the Shiv Sena’s name and symbol and asked the two factions to give their preferences for new names and symbols for their factions, both had unsurprisingly submitted “Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray)” as their preferred choice. Since both had made the same request, this was rejected, and the EC instead approved both factions’ second preference—“Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)” for the Uddhav faction, and “Balasahebanchi Shivsena” for the Shinde faction. Since both factions have been trying to position themselves as the true incarnation of the Sena as envisioned by Bal Thackeray, Uddhav is presumably upset that the Shinde faction was allowed to use Bal Thackeray’s name. Those in Uddhav’s faction have been pointing towards the EC’s decision last year when it was faced with a similar dilemma after the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) split into two factions, to claim that the EC has been unfair towards them. Back then, one LJP faction was headed by Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag Paswan, and the other by his brother Pashupati Paras. The EC had then allowed Chirag to use his father’s name for his faction—Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)—while the Paras-led faction was granted Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party.

Ajit DovalBJPGeneral election 2024JP NaddaUddhav Thackeray