TMC is not confident about minority votes. Though it has given tickets to around 60 Muslim candidates, it is aware that the BJP has a good hold among majority and urban voters. TMC leaders feel that if minority votes get polarised towards the Congress and left, then they will possibly get the majority votes
To ensure smooth functioning of Parliament, the BJP and Government managers were maintaining a working relationship with DMK and TMC. But now the party’s priority is to unite its vote bank in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and is hence attacking Jayalalithaa and Mamata Banerjee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also put Mamata in the firing line. After forming the Government at the Centre, when Modi went to West Bengal, he had said that the left regime had created many potholes and it would take the TMC Government several years to fill them all. However, at a recent campaign rally, Modi criticised Mamata and sought to know the changes she had made in the State. He also raised the corruption issue after citing the example of the Narada channel sting operation.
The BJP has also launched all-round attacks on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. Recently, Piyush Goyal said Tamil Nadu is a State where even Central Ministers are not allowed to meet the CM.
BJP in-charge General Secretary Muralidhar Rao and election in-charge Prakash Javadekar also raised questions over the governance in Tamil Nadu. Sources in the BJP say when the PM will go to Tamil Nadu for campaigning, he will go all out against Jayalalithaa.
CONG GOVTS IN CRISIS
After Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, problems of Congress-ruled States are mounting. Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh recently met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. After the meeting, he alleged that the Centre and BJP were trying to topple his Government. In fact, internal crisis in Himachal Congress has intensified in the past two weeks. There was a sympathy wave for Virbhadra after the raids of CBI, IT and ED, but now leaders are seeking his removal. This controversy escalated after Anand Sharma was elected to Rajya Sabha.
Similarly, in two North-Eastern States, Congress Governments are having a tough time. Recently, many disgruntled MlAs had been camping in Delhi. But this time, taking a lesson from Arunachal Pradesh, the Congress didn’t ignore the rebels and chose to talk to them. After that, Sonia summoned the CM of Manipur, Okram Ibobi Singh, to Delhi and had a word with him. People say Sonia instructed him to talk to the rebel MlAs and solve their problems.
Another headache for the Congress is Mizoram. Many MlAs are in a rebellious mood against CM lal Thanhawla. But since they are not getting support from any other party the BJP seems least interested they are not coming out openly. Sources say that leaders of Manipur and Mizoram are keeping an eye on Uttarakhand; if the Congress doesn’t manage to regain power in these States, problems of two North-Eastern States will only increase.
MAMATA’S MAIN WORRY
Mamata Banerjee has gone defensive during this election campaign. Neither is she replying to the allegations leveled by PM Modi, nor is her party responding to questions raised by the BJP leaders. Sources say Mamata thinks that if she counters the BJP or gives a reply, it would only help the party take votes out of TMC’s bank.
That is why Mamata is keeping mum. Recently, when Modi targeted Mamata and raised the issue of corruption among TMC leaders, she didn’t say anything. She has adopted a defensive strategy and didn’t give any clarification for the PM’s claims.
On the other hand, she is regularly attacking the alliance of the Congress and left.
TMC leaders are worried about the majority vote bank. After the Congress and left came together, TMC is not confident about minority votes. Though TMC has given tickets to around 60 Muslim candidates, it is still apprehensive. So the party is focusing on majority voters. TMC is well aware that the BJP has a good hold among majority and urban voters. TMC leaders feel that if minority votes get polarised towards the Congress and left, then they will possibly get the majority votes. leaders of TMC feel that if they target Modi and the BJP, it will send a negative message to majority and urban voters. So, they are sticking to routine issues and not diverting from the set path.
RESTlESSNESS IN SP
For the Assembly Elections in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party has applied the strategy of last lok Sabha Elections. The elections are almost a year away, but the party has already released the list of 143 candidates for constituencies where it had been defeated in the last Assembly polls. In the 2014 lok Sabha Elections, SP had done the same thing, but it proved to be a failed strategy. After the announcement, SP had to change its candidates many times and this gave a bad impression.
This time also it is perceived that though names have been announced, they are not final. There will be a lot of changes in the list. Opponents of candidates whose names are on the list have become active and are trying to highlight issues which can force the party to rethink their candidature. Many leaders are saying that declaring names will only cause controversies.
Sources say that more controversies will arise when names for sitting seats will be announced. They say that 50 of 225 MlAs might not get tickets again. That is the reason why sitting seats have not been announced yet. It has also not been said that all of the MlAs will fight the elections; hence they are knocking on the doors of BSP and BJP. Top leadership of the party is also not trying to stop them. Recently, a survey showed that there will be a direct fight between BSP and BJP, and this has made SP MlAs restless.
ANYTHING TO STOP BJP
In the run-up to Assembly Elections in five States, the Congress will do anything to stop the BJP. The party has compromised a lot right in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, and has even surrendered before the regional kshatrapas.
In Tamil Nadu, the Congress is ready to fight on only 45 seats. In 2011, it had fought on 63 seats but had managed to win only five. On that basis, DMK offered it only 30-35 seats this time. The Congress wants to be the party which has greater probability of winning and that is why it has stuck to only 45 seats.
In the same way, the Congress has gone into a partnership with CPM in West Bengal. After this decision, the party has become weak in Kerala and is facing difficulty in targeting CPM. Sources in the Congress say the leaders never wanted to allow the division of secular votes by going into elections alone as this would have given an edge to the BJP in the light of the fact that there would certainly be a multiangular fight. That is the reason why the Congress went with CPM.
In Kerala, the Congress is worried that the BJP might open its account. So, the party is trying its best to maintain the fight of UDF vs lDF. The Congress had an idea of rebellion in the party, so all sitting MlAs have been given tickets. Many Congress MlAs were said to be in touch with the BJP.
PROPAGATING ACHIEVEMENTS
The BJP is building a new team to advertise the schemes and works of the Modi Government when it completes two years. Opponents always alleged that the BJP is way ahead in advertising; Rahul Gandhi has said so many times. According to Rahul, the BJP is a master in public relations while the Congress is not able to publicise its work.
On the contrary, Modi believes that his party and ministers have not been able to advertise the works done by the Government. In recent meetings, the PM asked the leaders to go to their constituencies and tell people about the Government’s achievements. This has to be done by all MPs personally, but now the party will give an institutional form to this assignment.
Organisation Secretary of the BJP, Ram lal, will also be in this team. Apart from him, some other officials from the organisation will be included as well. Members of the team will tour the country and advertise the Government’s achievements. They will also brief people about the provisions of the Budget. Moreover, this team will also campaign in States where elections are scheduled, and of course, the emphasis will be on Uttar Pradesh.