The Other Sinha

After Yashwant Sinha, will it be Shatrughan Sinha who will join the Trinamool Congress (TMC)? Both are close and are Kayastha leaders of Bihar. They are former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veterans who couldn’t adjust to the Narendra Modi era. Shatrughan Sinha has been singing praises of TMC leader Mamata Banerjee of late. He is officially in Congress but did not figure on the list of star campaigners. Congress insiders say it’s due to Sinha’s extravagance. Short of cash, the party is apparently unable to afford his five-star lifestyle. Joining TMC could also lead to a Rajya Sabha ticket down the line.

Temporary or Permanent?

It is something of a puzzle that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was removed as the Congress leader in the Lok Sabha. Some say it is because of his anti-Mamata Banerjee utterances. Congress needs TMC for the 2024 General Election and can’t afford to antagonise Banerjee. And then there is the question of why Ravneet Singh Bittu was given the post. His main qualification seems to be his proximity to Rahul Gandhi. On the other hand, it is said Chowdhury himself asked Bittu to take the post as a temporary arrangement. He is busy with the West Bengal election campaign and senior leaders were also tied up in other states.

Wheelchair Impact

After West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s accident, ‘wheelchair campaigning’ is the new political phenomenon in West Bengal. There are several precedents to popular leaders campaigning from the wheelchair, from US President Franklin D Roosevelt to DMK leader M Karunanidhi. The question on everyone’s mind is what its impact will be on voters. On social media, BJP calls it a drama while TMC supporters laud her as the wounded tigress.

Centre Force

BJP has given tickets in West Bengal elections to five serving members of Parliament, including Union Minister Babul Supriyo. One speculation is that they wanted to send a message to the state that the party is serious about its prospects. These leaders would become part of the state cabinet if the party comes to power. And that having them there would mean a better relationship with the Centre, which would be very good for development in the state. Also, BJP doesn’t have many personalities and celebrity faces in the Bengal unit. Parachuting these leaders from Delhi could address that as well.

Outsiders’ Territory

In the Tamil Nadu elections, BJP has got 20 seats to contest in its alliance with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). But of those, 18 candidates it has fielded are outsiders. The party’s senior leader Subramanian Swamy himself tweeted this. BJP, however, believes the decision was taken on the basis of winnability. In the state, AIADMK and DMK are strong among the masses. So, selection of candidates was not an easy job for the party.

Mangalsutras for Votes

The promise of freebies in Tamil Nadu is an old tradition since the late MG Ramachandran’s reign in the 1980s. AIADMK leader, the late J Jayalalithaa, was also an expert in using this tactic to win elections. She gave everything, from household appliances to food, to woo voters. This election is no different. But DMK has added an interesting item to the list: mangalsutras for married women. It has led to AIADMK also adding jewellery to its election promises. There are also motorcycles and laptops on offer this time.

No Confidence

The seat from which former Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy of Congress was elected last time has gone to ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) kitty now. It shows Congress’ lack of confidence. Come to think of it, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should have used a similar facesaver in 2019 by allotting the Amethi seat to the Samajwadi Party. But on the flip side, the Congress-DMK relationship is still going strong.

Happy Nitish

Rashtriya Lok Samta Party leader Upendra Kushwaha merged his party with Janata Dal (United) to return to the embrace of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. It was a small news item in the national media but in Bihar, especially for Nitish, it is a major political development. Kushwaha was in JD(U) before splitting to form his own party. With his return, Nitish is trying to merge the Kurmi and Koiri votebanks. Koiris form a big chunk of the state’s electorate and Kushwaha has a strong base among them. But other senior JD (U) leaders are said to be unhappy that Nitish has made him chairman of the party’s national parliamentary board.

Tripura Threat

The National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), a militant Tribal organisation in the Northeastern state, has suddenly become active and intelligence agencies believe China is giving it covert support. Earlier, another group, Tripura National Volunteers, used to be active there and would keep crossing over to Bangladesh to escape Indian security agencies. But India got Bangladesh to help arrest them. It won’t be so easy to get China to do something similar with NLFT.

About The Author

Jayanta Ghosal

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