Buzz Word: Uma may be CM if BJP wins U.P.

PREDICTION

Uma may be CM if BJP wins U.P.

Uma Bharti, who belongs to the Bundelkhand region, may be the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh if the BJP comes to power there. With Narendra Modi wooing the non Yadav OBC voters, the best bet for BJP is Bharti, who is a Lodh—a non Yadav OBC. Bharti, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, also represents the Hindutva forces as one of the prime accused in the Babri mosque demolition case. Her elevation will also cut Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath to size. He is a Rajput by caste and has been nursing the ambition of becoming UP CM. However, making Bharti the CM may alienate the upper castes. The others in the queue for the CM’s post are Rajnath Singh’s son Pankaj Singh and even Rita Bahuguna Joshi. Meanwhile, in one of her speeches in Jhansi, Uma Bharti has said that Marx and Lenin were great economic revolutionaries, but Narendra Modi has surpassed them as his demonetisation is the greatest revolution of all time.

GROUND REALITY

Rebellion brewing against Ashok Chavan

Congress workers in Maharashtra are feeling resentful towards Pradesh Congress chief Ashok Chavan and AICC in-charge of Maharashtra, Mohan Prakash, after the party’s dismal performance in the civic body elections. If both are not sacked immediately, then the party in the state can even split. Chavan is being alleged to have given tickets to outsiders for reasons not above board. Upset party workers in Nagpur even threw ink on Chavan. In west Maharashtra, Balaji Thorat, a senior Congress leader, was so upset with Chavan that he fielded independent candidates against Chavan’s candidates. Ex Maharashtra ministers Nitin Raut and Satish Chaturvedi campaigned for those Congress candidates who contested as independents. Resentment is equally high against leaders such as Gurudas Kamat, Kripa Shankar Singh, Eknath Gaekwad, Narayan Rane, Milind Deora and Sanjay Nirupam. Nirupam is a rank outsider—he came from Shiv Sena—and does not even know Congress’ workers. His own team comprises people from the Shiv Sena. He resigned from the post of Mumbai Regional Congress chief because the party high command asked him to do so.

TOO LATE

Sasi verdict came too late

Questions are being asked why the judgement putting Sasikala behind bars came after 21 years, and that too right after the death of Jayalalithaa. Since Sasikala was an accomplice in the case with Jayalilthaa, would Amma too have been sent to prison if she was alive? Political observers feel that even if Jayalalithaa had been sent to jail, she would have made O. Panneerselvam a puppet Chief Minister.

COLD  SHOULDERED

Jitin being sidelined for Mona

The only important Congress leader contesting the Uttar Pradesh elections is former Union minister Jitin Prasada. But not one senior Congress leader has gone to his Tilhar seat in Shajahanpur to canvass for him. His supporters are now demoralised. This absence of faces is being seen as an attempt to sabotage him. If Jitin Prasada wins the seat, he will be the Congress Legislative Party leader at the least, or even become Deputy Chief Minister if the SP-Congress alliance comes to power. It is because of this that he is being blocked. It seems Pramod Tiwari is trying to project his daughter Mona at the expense of Jitin Prasada. He wants Mona to become CLP leader. Mona is fighting the elections from Pratapgarh, which Akhilesh Yadav has visited. In her posters too Mona is seen standing with Priyanka Vadra.