It seems that before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections scheduled for 2017, Ram Mandir will become a big issue in the State. Many VHP leaders have been raising the issue, seeking a timeframe for the construction to begin ever since the BJP Government took charge at the Centre. Some officials had also put a timeline before the Centre. After the death of Ashok Singhal, who had spearheaded the Ram Mandir movement, the campaign has intensified again.
When RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat paid tribute to Singhal at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi, he raised the issue of Ram Mandir and said that a plan must be made for its construction. He also said that the temple at Ayodhya would be a befitting tribute to Singhal. BJP’s National President Amit Shah, who was present there, also agreed with him.
Sources say VHP office-bearers have started preparations for the temple’s construction, and a strategy is being prepared. Though BJP leaders are saying that the Centre will be questioned by the Opposition, they feel it will help the party in Uttar Pradesh.
In fact, after the results of Bihar elections, leaders of State BJP realise they will have to put up a tough fight in UP polls, which are almost a year and a half away. Many believe the BSP will return to power, and the Congress might go into an alliance with it. In this scenario, the BJP will benefit from the Ram Mandir issue.
BJP STRATEGY to CHANGE
The BJP seems to be returning to its old strategy. In the Assembly Elections in five States scheduled for next year, the party is expected to declare its CM candidates in advance. Though, this is also true that there is no unanimity among the party strategists on this.
A leader says the BJP had reliable faces in Bihar and Jharkhand, yet it went into elections on Narendra Modi’s name. Now the party is thinking about fighting in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala and Tamil Nadu — where it doesn’t have any recognisable face — on the basis of its CM candidates. While some leaders want the BJP to fight on Modi’s name.
The BJP has already put forward its face for Assam. Recently appointed State President Sarbananda Sonowal could be the CM candidate of the BJP. He had joined the party around 10 years ago after leaving the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
In Tamil Nadu, the BJP can project Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan. He is the party MP from Kanyakumari seat. In Kerala, 86-year-old O Rajagopal can be projected as the CM candidate. Some leaders are also taking the name of Pramila Sashidharan, who has recently been elected as Mayor in Kerala.
BIHAR GOVT’s first crisis
On November 20, the Nitish Kumar Government took oath in Bihar, and barely two days later, it faced its first major crisis. RJD MlA from Barhara, Saroj Yadav, allegedly threatened a Station House Office. Around the same time, another RJD MlA, Arun Yadav, apparently tried to capture the bungalow of Manjeet Singh, who was the JDU MlA in the last Assembly. But Nitish and lalu Prasad Yadav solved the crisis within half an hour.
Nitish was miffed with the two incidents and called lalu to meet him. lalu and his two sons went to meet Nitish, and then Sushasan Babu gave him the details of the incidents. lalu didn’t defend his MlAs and told Nitish to take appropriate action. After that, the Superintendent of Police was given instructions to lodge a complaint against Saroj Yadav.
The RJD chief said he would give a stern message to his MlAs to not indulge any act which could tarnish the image of the Government. After that, Tejaswi Yadav too gave a warning to his MlAs. It is evident that lalu is also worried about the image of the Nitish Government.
It’s all about PAWAR play
Sharad Pawar knows how to maintain his political importance. He can easily mingle with the party in power and the Opposition; no other leader can do what he does. PM Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Maharashtra’s CM Devendra Fadnavis recently visited Pawar’s hometown Baramati and praised him. On the other hand, he is also leading the show of non-BJP leaders in Bihar.
Next month, Pawar is turning 75 and there will be a private function in Delhi, and right from the President to the PM and Sonia Gandhi have been invited.
Speculations are that Modi and Sonia will attend the function. In fact Pawar has proved himself useful for both Modi and Sonia, and they have high expectations from him. The BJP wants to maintain good relations with him because it is apprehensive of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. If the Shiv Sena leaves the BJP in doldrums, then Pawar can be of immense help. On the other hand, Sonia feels that Pawar’s party would return to UPA. After Bihar elections, leaders of Congress and NCP are thinking of going into local body elections together.
NO PARTNERS FOR CONGRESS
The Congress is not able to find any partner in UP. That is the reason why State leaders are saying that the Congress will fight alone. Recently a meeting of district presidents and other office bearers was held, but after two days of chintan, State leaders and in-charge Madhusudan Mistry were not able to finalise their action plan.
Sources in the Congress say the party is trying to go into an alliance with BSP. They are trying to woo Mayawati by claiming that if there is an alliance of BSP and Congress, then Muslims will cast their vote en-masse to them, just like in Bihar. Apart from that, the Brahmin-Dalit votes would also be intact. But till date Mayawati is thinking about going alone. The Congress has an option to go with the parties of Bihar, but they don’t have much relevance in UP.
The old partner of Congress, Ajit Singh, has parted ways with it and is in search of another alternative. In this scenario, the Congress can only say that it will fight alone. Though Congress leaders are aware of the fact that they will not be able to achieve anything alone. They know well that the party will be at number 4. It’s true that the Congress aims to better its performance in the next lok Sabha Elections, but its leaders are hopeful of coming to power after 27 years if Mayawati gives a nod to the tie-up.
RAJYA SABHA EQUATIONS
Soon after the Bihar results, experts have been busy in calculating the equation of Rajya Sabha. By the next year, five seats of Bihar will be vacant; at present all of them are with JDU. The seat of RCP Singh will be vacant after six years. Of the remaining four, KC Tyagi is completing his tenure on the seat which was vacated by RlSP leader Upendra Kushwaha. In the same manner, Pawan Verma, Sharad Yadav and Gulam Rasool Balyavi are completing the tenures on the seats vacated by Ram Vilas Paswan, Ram Kripal Yadav and Rajiv Pratap Rudy as they had won the lok Sabha Elections in May 2014.
To win one seat in the elections scheduled for next year, 41 votes are needed. Thus, two seats will come to RJD. It is almost certain that Rabri Devi will go to Rajya Sabha. There are many contenders for the second seat, with names of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Kapil Sibal doing the rounds. But sources say that lalu will send someone either from the backward community or a Muslim leader.
On the other hand, one candidate of JDU will win easily with 41 votes, but for the other candidate, the party will be left with only 30 votes. JDU will get another seat only when the Congress will extend the support of its 10 MlAs. That is the reason why the Congress has claimed the other seat of JDU. The Congress has 27 MlAs and the party wants Nitish to extend the support of 14 MlAs so that one of its leaders can go to Rajya Sabha.
Sources say that this time, JDU is not in the mood to leave a seat for the Congress. It is saying that since all retiring MPs are from JDU, this time the party will take two seats and leave one seat for the Congress in 2018.
JDU can promise an extra seat of legislative Council to the Congress. Even if JDU gets two seats, there will be many contenders. Sharad Yadav, RCP Singh and Prashant Kishor are said to be the frontrunners. It is not yet clear who the BJP will give its single seat to. While Jitan Ram Manjhi is eying this seat, Shahnawaz Hussain and some other leaders, who had lost in the Assembly Elections, are also in the race.