Tridib Raman
Pay attention to the recent statements of this veteran Congress leader who once served as Chief Minister of a major Hindi-belt state. In them, he openly admits: “Neither is our leader strong, nor do we have any capable political manager left like Ahmed Patel. God knows how the party will survive in the future.” To tell the truth, this worry of the Congress has now become universal. What happened in the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, Bihar, and Odisha, and the way senior Congress leaders in Assam have switched sides to the BJP, all of this must surely have put deep lines of worry on the foreheads of the party’s top leadership. Let’s first turn to Assam. Pradyut Bordoloi, the two-time MP from Nagaon, who remained with the Congress continuously for 51 years, has finally bid goodbye to the party and joined BJP. Before him, in February itself, the party’s former state president Bhupen Borah had also quit Congress and moved to the BJP. It is believed that Bordoloi had been feeling sidelined in the party for the past two years because, during the Congress presidential election, he supported Shashi Tharoor instead of Mallikarjun Kharge, the high command’s choice. Perhaps that made him fall out of favour in Delhi. So when preparations for the Assam Assembly elections began this time, Rahul Gandhi handed over the reins of the state to his close confidant Gaurav Gogoi. According to sources, while Gaurav was finalising the list of Congress candidates, there was simply no place left for Bordoloi’s people. That is where the matter escalated, and Pradyut’s rebellion slowly began to take shape. However, Priyanka Gandhi, who heads the screening committee for Assam, also admitted that Bordoloi was dissatisfied with the ticket distribution. Yet, the decision to leave Congress was not easy for Bordoloi, as he had been in the party continuously since 1975. Sources say that before deciding to join the BJP, he called Rahul Gandhi twice. When Rahul didn’t pick up, Bordoloi sent him a pointed message: “Before I take any final decision, please call me back.” Rahul still didn’t call; he only sent a message: “Talk to Gaurav Gogoi.” Bordoloi understood exactly what was going on in Delhi’s mind about him. And so, after nearly five decades, he too chose a different path.
Even in Haryana, Defeat Was Very Close
Tridib Raman
This time, the Haryana Rajya Sabha election also became a tough nut for Congress. According to sources, the decision to field former Haryana government officer Karmveer Bauddh as the candidate was Rahul Gandhi’s personal decision. The suggestion for this Dalit officer’s name was given to Rahul by his advisor K. Raju. So, without consulting any Haryana Congress leaders, Rahul put his stamp of approval on Bauddh’s candidature. It is said that this decision did not go down well with either Haryana Congress’s heavyweight leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda or Kumari Selja, Sirsa’s MP and a prominent Dalit leader of the state. Mathematically, Boudh’s victory should not have faced any hurdle, as he needed only 31 MLAs’ votes to win, while Congress has 37 elected MLAs in Haryana. But when the results came, they were extremely shocking. Bauddh got only 28 votes. Nine Congress MLAs’ votes were wasted; 4 were declared invalid and 5 did cross-voting. Thankfully, one BJP MLA’s vote was also declared invalid; otherwise, Bauddh would have been in serious trouble. The most surprising part is that even to secure votes for Bauddh, the Congress leadership had to go to great lengths. First, they had to hide their MLAs in an unknown location in Himachal Pradesh, yet the betrayal still happened. The most astonishing thing is that allegations of cross-voting are now being levelled even against Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal, who is considered extremely close to Hooda. Among those who cross-voted, two are Muslim MLAs and two are from Sirsa, the constituency of Kumari Selja.Now the Congress high command has decided to take action against the MLAs who indulged in cross-voting.
Congress’s Gamble Also Backfired in Odisha
Tridib Raman
In Odisha’s Rajya Sabha election, businessman and independent candidate Dilip Ray, who later became an MP with BJP’s support, had initially approached Congress for backing. He had also convinced Naveen Patnaik to support him. Before the election, Dilip Ray went to Delhi. It is said he had an important meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. Sources claim that in front of these two top Congress leaders, Ray asserted that “if Congress supports me, I will be able to break 4–5 BJP MLAs later.” It is said Ray was quite satisfied with the Delhi meeting and was fully confident that Congress would stand with him. But for some reason, at the last moment, Congress flipped and Ray had to seek shelter with the BJP. However, while leaving, he left a big hole in Congress’s fortress, three Congress MLAs cross-voted in his favour. In one stroke, Dilip Ray held up a mirror to the Congress high command.
Congress Also Shamed in Bihar
Tridib Raman
Ever since Tejashwi Yadav announced big industrialist Amarendra Dhari Singh as his party’s Rajya Sabha candidate, he had suspected that 3–4 Congress MLAs might succumb to money in this election. So Tejashwi immediately called Delhi and spoke to Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. It is said he requested the Congress high command to summon the Bihar Congress president, the state in-charge, and all six Congress MLAs to Delhi and brief them properly. The Congress high command respected Tejashwi’s feelings and did exactly that. Yet the betrayal still happened in Bihar. It is also believed that Amarendra Dhari Singh himself had given the responsibility of coordinating with Congress MLAs to the state’s former Congress president, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, who is also considered Kharge’s sole “point man” in Bihar. But it seems Amarendra Dhari made a mistake in choosing the beneficiaries. Because of the “taste of Lakshmi Sarita”, not only the in-charge and PCC chief but even the six Congress MLAs were left deprived. The BJP seized the opportunity. The shining ambitions of three Congress MLAs, Manoj Vishwas of Forbesganj, Manohar Prasad of Manihari, and Surendra Kushwaha of Valmiki Nagar, saw their glowing aspirations daubed in saffron. Even RJD’s Faizal Rahman took a dip in this flowing river of riches. Sources say that during the recent Bihar Assembly elections, some grassroots Congress leaders had sent a report to Rahul Gandhi claiming that “this time, Congress tickets on at least 28 Assembly seats were sold and bought at high prices.” Obviously, those who advanced by buying their way will eventually sell out as well, even if it means trading their own conscience.
Mamata Takes Direct Aim at Gyanesh
Tridib Raman
In West Bengal, ever since the election bugle was sounded, politics has been taking a new turn every day. The latest episode revolves around Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has had Gyanesh Kumar in her crosshairs for quite some time over the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of the voter list. Now, the joint opposition has given notice in Parliament to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner to remove him from his post. Mamata has demanded his impeachment over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list. She has claimed the support of a total of 193 MPs, 130 from Lok Sabha and 63 from Rajya Sabha, while calling for a united opposition. This is the first time that anyone is talking about removing a Chief Election Commissioner through a parliamentary process. Under Article 324(5) of the Indian Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed through a process similar to the impeachment of a Supreme Court judge. However, it does not look like all this will happen quickly. Bengal’s elections are scheduled in two phases on 23 and 29 April, so there is serious doubt whether this impeachment motion can be passed in time. Before an impeachment motion is taken up, a probe committee is formed, and there is no fixed timeline for the committee’s report. In other words, the process is extremely long, by the time it concludes, Bengal’s elections will already be over. But through this impeachment move, Mamata clearly wants to tell her voters: “Since the BJP is lagging in the election, it wants to win by tampering with the SIR, and the man executing this is Gyanesh Kumar.” In this election, TMC’s direct contest is only with the BJP. While BJP is banking on strong booth management, the Sangh’s grassroots network, religious polarisation of votes, and cashing in on anti-incumbency against Mamata, Mamata has turned this election into an issue of Bengal’s identity. Apart from consolidating Muslim votes, Mamata’s focus is on rural and women voters. Several new state government schemes have been launched keeping exactly these voters in mind. Moreover, the strong grassroots organisation of her party is also a major strength that could steer her through this election.
Will KC Tyagi’s Effort Bring Any Colour?
Veteran Samajwadi leader KC Tyagi, steeped in old-school politics, has now quit JD(U) and is looking for a new political home. For a long time, he functioned as Nitish Kumar and JD(U)’s “point man” in Delhi. He enjoys good rapport with top political leaders in Delhi and a large section of the media. So, after leaving his old home JD(U), the first person he asked to meet was SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. He got an appointment easily. The two leaders had a cordial and meaningful conversation. Akhilesh wanted KC Tyagi to join the SP and work to expand its base in western UP, because Tyagi not only has a strong hold among Tyagi community voters but also enjoys excellent personal relations with the Gujjar community. After this meaningful meeting, KC Tyagi’s visit to RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary is creating new political complications. What exactly can Jayant offer KC Tyagi? With the strength of his MLAs, he cannot even send him to the Rajya Sabha, whereas Akhilesh can do that in a snap.
Vijay’s Charisma Seems to Falter in This Election
In the ongoing Tamil Nadu elections, the magic of actor Thalapathy Vijay, also known as Chandrasekharan Joseph Vijay, now seems to be missing the mark. There was a time when it looked like he would stand shoulder to shoulder with the BJP and pose a formidable challenge to the ruling Karunanidhi family and their DMK party, or successfully establish himself as a strong alternative to Stalin. But the latest opinion polls show that his party may be restricted to just 8-10% vote share. Political observers point to one major reason for this: Vijay being a Christian. The Christian population in the state is only around 6%, which is neither large enough in numbers nor decisive enough. Meanwhile, Vijay’s mother, Shobha Chandrasekhar, is a Hindu.
