Will elections be brought forward?
The buzz in the national capital is that the general elections could be preponed by a few weeks. According to the rumour mill, once the Union Budget—or Vote on Account— has been passed the election dates could be announced as early as 9 February. Sources add that the Budget session will only be for ten days, from 31 January onwards, after which the Lok Sabha could be dissolved.
The only hurdle in this is that the board exams that take place in March and the Election Commission needs both the teachers and the class-rooms to facilitate the poll process. But if the exams are concluded by the third week of March, the elections could take place from the end of March onwards. While the last BJP government that had declared early elections fell into the now infamous India Shining trap, the Narendra Modi government wants to ride on the “Temple Shining” bandwagon and is confident about going into the polls on the legacy of the Ram Janmabhoomi inauguration.
In addition, as a BJP leader pointed out, where will these leave Rahul Gandhi’s rathyatra, which would have barely concluded with the Northeast phase by early February, by which time if the Lok Sabha is dissolved the entire country would go into poll mode. Given the fact that most pundits have already called the polls in favour of Narendra Modi, it is clear that the Prime Minister is keen to get the little but crucial hurdle of ballot approval out of the way, and move on with the next item on his order of business.
The Festive Phase
Cabinet Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and his wife, former ambassador Lakshmi Puri are known for their gracious hospitality. Last week the duo hosted the capital’s most fun Lohri party with the traditional fire blazing at the entrance, and singer Jaspinder Narula on the stage; all of which made the evening immediately Instagrammable. The guest list, a mix of diplomats, journalists and politicians, saw an easy familiarity, adding to the warmth of the evening. With Lakshmi Puri’s debut novel, “Swallowing the Sun” having been released that week, the Puris had a lot to celebrate, as the book is getting some good reviews to send it on its way to the bestseller list. Another cause for celebration was a milestone praised prominently at the venue that proclaimed: Vikshit Bharat 0 km, a point that the minister reiterated in his welcome address. All in all, it was a good way to enter into the political fasting phase of the next two weeks, as sundry BJP leaders are planning to follow the Prime Minister’s example of fasting before the Ram Janmabhoomi temple inauguration.
Another Congress exit soon?
Will Preneet Kaur be joining the BJP soon? It sure looks that the suspended Congress MP is headed that way, especially after she voted in favour of Mahua Moitra’s expulsion in the Ethics Committee. With the Opposition supporting Mahua, the vote against was a clear defiance of the party stand. Her exit will not surprise political watchers who were expecting her to quit the Congress soon after her husband Captain Amarinder Singh joined the BJP in September 2022 along with their son and daughter Raninder and Jai Inder. It seems as if Preneet will be contesting the Lok Sabha from her old seat while her daughter Jai could be contesting the Assembly elections.