Is it simply because its supporters are overconfident? As the BJP and its allies continue to conduct a post-mortem of the Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has pointed out the point, stressing the need for a “more strategic approach” as state assembly elections approach.
“Some of our voters went on holiday during the polling period thinking that the NDA would easily win over 400 seats in the general elections,” news agency PTI quoted Shinde as saying at a meeting of the ruling Mahayuti Alliance in Mumbai on Saturday.
Beyond the prime minister’s remarks, his call for unity, issued along with deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, speaks to what has held the BJP and its allies back in the run-up to the elections and the challenges that await them ahead of the state assembly polls. Even though the two main opposition parties, the Shiv Sena and the NCP, are divided and weakened, it means there are more candidates in the ruling coalition, fewer candidates to go around and seat-allocation negotiations have dragged on for months, damaging the coalition’s electoral prospects.
Add to that the problems of Dalit vote drain (a big problem for the BJP in other parts of India too, such as Uttar Pradesh), sympathy for Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar which saw the party split, Maratha-OBC rivalry, agrarian unrest etc. Without answering these big questions and resolving the issue of lack of unity, the Mahayuti is likely to continue sailing in troubled waters.
“Compromise is the secret of a successful coalition,” Fadnavis stressed in his speech. The big question remains whether the alliance will be able to identify and address problem areas and whether its members will be able to compromise successfully.
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Rahul Gandhi visits Manipur
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi will visit Manipur on Monday, following visits to Hathras and Gujarat this week. The visit is significant as the ethnic conflict in Manipur has been one of the main topics of discussion in the recent Parliament session and the BJP has come under intense criticism over its response at the centre and in the state.
Following repeated attacks from the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Rajya Sabha (India’s upper house) on Wednesday that his government has made every effort to restore peace to the war-torn state. In an article to be published later in the day, Asad Rehman analyses how the coming weeks will play out in Manipur, especially with the budget session of Parliament starting on July 22, and what Gandhi’s visit to the state means. Stay tuned.
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Mayawati in Chennai
Meanwhile, BSP leader Mayawati is scheduled to visit Chennai on Sunday morning to pay tribute to the party’s Tamil Nadu state president, K. Armstrong, who was hacked to death by a six-member gang near Chennai’s Perambur on Friday.
According to a report by Arun Janardhanan, after preliminary investigations, police believe Armstrong’s death is linked to the murder of gangster Arcot Suresh in August last year. Suresh was allegedly behind a gold trading company that allegedly defrauded over 100,000 depositors of Rs 243 crore. Police say Armstrong had supported some of the people who lost money in the scam, causing friction between him and Suresh, who was killed last year by a gang led by Jayapal. The suspects in Armstrong’s murder, including Suresh’s brother, one of the eight arrested so far, believe Suresh was killed on Armstrong’s orders.
Recommended reading: Gold scam, gang rivalry, sibling vendetta – police unravel murder of BSP Tamil Nadu chief
Also today, the Delhi BJP will meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to discuss strategy for the Assembly elections in the national capital due early next year. The meeting is expected to be attended by over 2,000 people, including party leaders at all levels, and will be addressed by Union Minister Piyush Goyal. Several resolutions are expected to be passed at the meeting.
— With PTI input
