The Curious Case of the New BJP Chief
Has the BJP decided to postpone naming its party president yet again? Earlier we were told that the new nominee would be announced by the middle of September (post the Vice Presidential election). However, there are some indications that this might once again be postponed to after the Bihar polls. The reason for this could be that the exercise for the new party chief is not something that will be done in a vacuum, for after that there will have to be other organisational changes, as the new president puts together his or her new team. This may also lead to a possible cabinet reshuffle. Hence the delay is not just about one appointment, but the domino effect it would have.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders (who are not in the know, which means everyone except Prime Minister Modi and possibly Home Minister Amit Shah) are keeping a watchful eye on what the RSS chief is saying and whom he is meeting. Such as the recent meetings that RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat has had with former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and former MP CM and current cabinet minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, both of whom belong more to Vajpayee’s BJP than the Modi-Shah set up. Or take his recent comments when asked about the delay in deciding the new BJP party president, Bhagwat said: “Take your time, we do not have to say anything.” There is now much speculation as to whether this “Take Your Time” approach is as benign as it sounds.
RaGa’s Bihar Gambit
The Congress is very upbeat about the recently concluded Vote Adhikar Yatra spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi in Bihar. Given the fact that the rest of the INDIA bloc allies also made it to the yatra—though the TMC offered a token presence, but other leaders like M.K. Stalin and Akhilesh Yadav were visible by their presence—has done much to shore the party’s faith in Rahul Gandhi, for they now claim that it is not just the Congress but even the rest of the INDIA bloc that sees RaGa as its leader. In that they are not wrong, for of late Rahul has been leading the Opposition narrative on various issues—from apart from the vote chori allegations, such as the demand for a caste census, to questioning the government over intelligence failure on Op Sindoor, Trump tariffs and the threat to the Constitution.
Having said that, while the yatra has certainly galvanised the Congress karyakarta in Bihar, it remains to be seen if the organisation can pull this through at the booth level. Also, it is clear that RJD is the big brother here in the state alliance, which is why many were wondering as to why Rahul didn’t outright support Tejashwi Yadav as the CM face when asked by the public as to who would be the alliance’s choice. One reason for this could be that the Congress is holding back that card as a negotiating tactic during seat sharing. That makes strategic sense because there is a fine balancing act between uniting to defeat the BJP but also ensuring that your party cadre’s interests are protected.
The NDA Gameplan
While the Opposition has been first off the block in Bihar, the NDA, especially the BJP, is yet to kickstart its campaign, though there are those who say that the fact that the PM announced Operation Sindoor from Bihar was the first salvo. The PM is scheduled to visit Bihar post 15 September and that is when the BJP’s campaign will gain momentum. It would be interesting to see what issues it will raise.
But in the meanwhile, what may have given the NDA a fillip is RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s recent promise of 85% reservations for all deprived classes. This has puzzled many even within the Opposition, for this is appealing to a vote bank that is already with the RJD. What it may do is to push the upper caste vote that was perhaps migrating towards Prashant Kishor, back to the BJP in a move to consolidate. Then again, there are wheels within wheels, as the campaign is still to take off. It will be the seat sharing that will be crucial for both sides and one doesn’t know which way Chirag Paswan will turn.
