The Delhi tango
There is a lot of consternation in the Congress camp about allying with the Aam Aadmi Party. Initially when he was Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Ajay Maken was against the alliance and some say that this is one reason why he was shifted out. However, his successor and former Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit seems equally adamant against the alliance. And guess who is now arguing in favour of the alliance: the former PCC chief Maken. According to sources, Sheila Dikshit is said to have argued that she is against the alliance because the two parties will be taking on each other during the Delhi Assembly elections that are due eight months after the general elections. And clearly, she wants another shot at being CM again, instead of supporting Kejriwal’s ambitions. But Congress sources close to P.C. Chako, the general secretary in charge of Delhi, hint that the last word on the alliance has not yet been said.
The Bloc of 45
There is no question that post the Balakot airstrikes, the poll narrative has changed in favour of the BJP, especially with the narrative of nationalism that is gaining ground. But party managers are eyeing a bloc of 45 seats that could be used to bail them out if they fall short of numbers—this chunk includes Navin Patnaik’s BJD, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s YSR Congress and K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s TRS. Which could be one reason why the PM has decided not to contest from Puri, as was the earlier plan. In fact, local BJP leaders are a little puzzled as to why he refrains from attacking Patnaik directly during his rallies in the state. Well, whether the BJP needs it or not, it’s always good to have a safety net in place.
Blessings well disguised?
When asked if he was perturbed by his father blessing Prime Minster Narendra Modi and wishing that he comes back for a second term, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav told a news outlet that it was okay, his father had wished the same for Manmohan Singh as well (and the Congress lost that election). However, there is some concern in the SP camp, for the BSP chief, Mayawati, has announced that she will be campaigning for her bête-noir Mulayam Singh Yadav in Mainpuri. The concern is whether MSY will not end up praising Modi with Mayawati on the dais!