BJP Gets Ready In Uttar Pradesh

The induction of six ministers and the elevation of two junior ones marked the final expansion of the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh (UP) government ahead of the Assembly elections due next February. The picks bear a strong stamp of the central party and the development follows completion of the current round of Assembly elections, indicating that UP will receive increasing attention as the next big electoral battle. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stole a march over BJP, which failed to replace jaded MPs in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and did not read Yadav’s candidate selection.

The SP strategy of mobilising the Pichre, Dalit, Alpasankyak (PDA) sections worked and eroded BJP’s domination of the state since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. This time round, BJP is securing its flanks with a majority of ministerial picks and elevations from the OBC and Dalit sections. The sole forward-caste pick, Manoj Pandey, was formerly with SP and has been awaiting a placement since 2024 when he supported BJP in a Rajya Sabha election.

Hansraj Vishwakarma has been BJP Varanasi district president and had a role in managing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency. Bhupendra Chaudhary is a Jat leader from western UP where the party leans on its ally, Jayant Chaudhary’s RLD, and needs to bolster its standing among the farming community. The changes in the cabinet make OBCs the largest segment, with 25 of 60 ministers hailing from the backward classes. Surendra Diler, the MLA from Khair in Aligarh, comes from a prominent Valmiki family whose three generations have been MLAs and MPs.

Shooter Held

A West Bengal police team detained Raj Singh from Ayodhya in connection with the murder of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s assistant, Chandranath Rath. The accused was tracked through technical surveillance and is originally from Ballia. Rath was shot dead in Madhyamgram on May 6 by bike-borne assailants. Singh’s arrest could shed light on a suspected planned contract killing by professional shooters from UP and Bihar. The SIT is probing the larger conspiracy angle to identify others involved in planning, reconnaissance, shelter, and movement of the shooters.

Protecting Street Children

While the recent elections and events in West Asia hogged the headlines, a welcome piece of news found mention. The Delhi government set up a committee to draw guidelines for the protection and rehabilitation of street children who fall through policy gaps. An ‘invisible’ minority, street kids are vulnerable to the worst forms of abuse. The panel has been asked to examine how such children can be identified, placed in homes and cared for under Operation Vatsalya.

Chennithala’s Claims

In the tussle between Rahul Gandhi loyalist KC Venugopal and state chief VD Satheesan for the Kerala chief ministership, the claims of senior leader, former state minister and former leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala were pushed to the background. The experienced politician has the feel for Kerala’s difficult coalition politics but has had to contend with the claims of leaders who lack his grounding as a student leader, MLA and MP and yet wield the advantage of current positions or proximity to the leadership.

I-PAC As Punching Bag

The rumblings in Trinamool Congress after its stunning fall from grace have seen party leaders direct their ire at political consultancy firm I-PAC. Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Kalyan Banerjee, in a TV interview, said the firm interfered with the party organisation and took over functions and decisions best left to party functionaries. Banerjee’s son, Sirsanya, lost by more than 10,000 votes from the Uttarpara Assembly constituency, adding an edge to the criticism.

Pakistan’s Hidden Agenda

Pakistan's role as mediator in the Middle East crisis was seen to have earned the country much-needed leverage with the White House. But now a US TV news investigation says Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to be parked on its territory to protect them from harm. Pakistan had denied the claims at a time its Army chief Asim Munir was shuttling the region. Irrespective of the veracity of the report, anyone who believes Islamabad would be an honest broker is in for a nasty shock.

Election Commission Vindicated

The decision of the Madras High Court to disallow a TVK MLA who won by one vote to participate in the trust vote flies against precedence and constitutional provisions. Even if the result was under challenge, the TVK MLA was within his rights to vote in the House. The Election Commission’s view that the MLA can be barred only as a consequence of an election petition is the correct position that was denied to the MLA.