Will former Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai quit the party and go on a yatra of the state to establish his leadership? A tough choice when the next assembly election in the state is five years away.  Annamalai is meeting with BJP President Nitin Nabin and other senior leaders of the party in New Delhi on June 2 ahead of his birthday (June 4) during which he is likely to submit his resignation.  Initially, it was believed that the former IPS officer was merely flexing muscle and putting pressure on Central leadership to accommodate him in upcoming Rajya Sabha vacancies. With such pressure tactics unlikely to yield results, it is more likely that Annamalai may have to have live up to his promise of mobilising Tamil Nadu youth. Rise of Joseph Vijay may have inspired him to chart his own course; he is much younger than CM Vijay. With both the Dravidian parties battered by TVK – Annamalai will probably be able to rebuild afresh from their debris. Of course, it will be a tough task. Annamalai has kept a low-profile since stepping down as the TN BJP chief to facilitate the party’s alliance with the AIADMK. He has had several run-ins with Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) of AIADMK, and they don’t share a good rapport. AIADMK may have denied Singanallur as EPS did not want Annamalai to contest and emerge as challenger to him in the region. Interestingly both belong to the powerful Gounder community. Annamalai expressed his displeasure over the constituencies allotted to the party. He is believed to have questioned why the BJP agreed to contest in three seats in Pudukkottai district, where it lacks a strong base and asked why strong efforts were not taken to get seats in western Tamil Nadu, where it has a base. Reportedly, BJP leadership is upset with the way Annamalai managed party finances during the Lok Sabha polls. Looks like he runs a trust deficit among Delhi bosses.  

BJP has given a Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) ticket for the Chandrapur-Wardha-Gadchiroli seat to a prominent industrialist Arun Lakhani, co-treasurer of Maharashtra BJP for the June 18 elections. His son Sarang Lakhani is engaged to marry Revati, daughter of Supriya Sule on June 20. The Lakhani family has been connected to the RSS. The marriage itself was arranged by political bigwigs in the state.”Supriya Tai sent me a congratulatory message. The reference to the Pawar family is natural because it is a large political family and we are related. I do not see anything unusual in that,” says Arun Lakhani. Revati Sule studied economics at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai and did master’s degree in public administration from the London School of Economics. Sarang Lakhani is currently the executive director at Vishvaraj Group, Nagpur-based group controlled by his father. A badminton player, he has studied management at Columbia Business School in the United States. The buzz around the Sarang-Revati wedding grew after senior NCP leader Sharad Pawar was admitted to a private hospital in Pune following a chest infection early this year. Sarang’s family-owned business group, the Vishvaraj Group, is a company engaged in water sustainability projects, wastewater management and road infrastructure development. He has been involved in the family business for over eight years now. Before joining the family business, he worked as a business development consultant with Modern Hydrogen.

Acting on orders of Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah resigned very reluctantly to pave the way for D K Shivakumar (DKS). But he hoped he could pressurise Rahul Gandhi to accept his suggestions for an important role as a coordinator for the party-government arrangement, like he was during the short-lived coalition between Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) when H D Kumaraswamy was CM from 2018-2019. Siddaramaiah sought to revive the same model which would allow him to remain as an alternative power centre in the state. However, Rahul Gandhi put his foot down. Having Siddaramaiah as a coordinator would mean DKS would not be able to function as CM with a free hand. A day after he resigned as CM, Siddaramaiah met Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi, accompanied by his son Yathindra. Siddaramaiah is also said to have pushed for giving his son the deputy CM post with a key portfolio. Yathindra is an MLC after having lost the 2023 assembly polls. It is this anxiety to find an elevated political role for his medico son —a relatively lateral entrant into politics—that could chip away Siddaramaiah’s clout with Congress leadership. He is also seeking Cabinet berths for his loyalists in the new ministry. Majority of Congress MLAs are reportedly still backing him while DKS is dependent on Sonia, Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi for his authority. Sources say besides Yathindra, DKS government could have Priyank Kharge as second deputy CM representing the Dalits. There may well be a deputy CM from Lingayat community too (M B Patil). Patil and G.Parameshwara were in Delhi for a second round of meeting with Rahul. AICC has not been able to finalise Satish Jharkhioli as PCC chief as he also wanted to be part of the government.

Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has made a new political move to show that he is the undisputed leader of all Telugu people. His act of unveiling a 23-foot statue of NT Rama Rao (NTR) at Maitrivanam junction in Ameerpet, Hyderabad, on May 28 has raised eyebrows. NTR was no doubt a tall leader of undivided Andhra Pradesh. But he was more of an Andhra than a Telangana leader. But Revanth wants to improve his popularity not only in Telangana but also in the present Andhra Pradesh by installing a statue of NTR, whose TDP legacy is deeply linked to opposition to the bifurcation of AP. Critics of Revanth say promoting the TDP icon may alienate Congress’s core Telangana base, erode the party’s hard-won identity, and ultimately leave Congress in electoral irrelevance by 2028-29. NTR’s contributions as a cine icon and populist reformer — rice at Rs 2/kg, women’s initiatives, and the anti-Congress wave in 1983 — were achieved in united Andhra. Yet, in Telangana’s collective memory, his TDP often symbolised resistance to the demand for separate statehood. The Telangana movement gained momentum from the 1960s onward and peaked in the post-2000s period. At that time, Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu was in favour of Telugu unity and opposed the creation of a separate Telangana state. Gradually, the TDP lost support in Telangana and remained confined to AP. A former TDP MLA elected from Kodangal in 2009 and 2014, Revanth rose under Chandrababu Naidu’s mentorship, serving as floor leader before his 2017 switch to Congress. Some Congress critics see the NTR statue — promised during the Jubilee Hills bypoll (which was won by Naveen Yadav)— as an overture to Chandrababu, who was once his leader. While unveiling the statue of NTR, Revanth publicly urged NTR fans and TDP remnants to “bury BRS,” of K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).

For once it was senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who emerged as the mover and shaker in Karnataka politics as she came to taking the right call. She took the initiative of calling off Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s bogey that majority of the 137 Congress MLAs were backing him. She made it clear that there would have to be a regime change in Karnataka, no matter what. This tough message could not be conveyed to Siddaramaiah via her son Rahul Gandhi or AICC Gen Secretary K C Venugopal. She was clear that the promise to install deputy CM D K Shivakumar as Karnataka CM in this assembly had to be kept. She also made it clear that troubles that DKS had endured for the sake of the party — he was arrested in a money-laundering case in 2019 by the ED and was lodged in Tihar Jail. That was enough to prove his loyalty and commitment to the party. He has also been looking after son-in-law Robert Vadra’s realtor interest in Bengaluru. For these reasons and more DKS had to be rewarded. Party sources said Sonia was also firm that if any change in the CM were “to affect the Congress prospect in 2028 Karnataka assembly elections”,  the party leadership should not be unduly worried.  This message somewhat disturbed party stalwarts. But then it was this big push from Sonia that got the Congress to make the big move on Siddaramaiah. Of course, it is not clear if Siddaramaiah will accept a role in Delhi as Rajya Sabha LoP. He had out right refused a deputy CM role for his son Yathindra in the next govt. It is not clear what will be Mallikarjun Kharge’s role? Will he just remain Congress President and a Rajya Sabha MP?

There is a lot of speculation about who will Tamil Nadu chief minister Joseph Vijay send as his first member to the Rajya Sabha as the Election Commission has announced the by-elections for the lone Tamil Nadu seat vacated by former AIADMK minister C V Shanmugam after he won the Assembly elections. TVK is expected to win the seat comfortably.  Speculation is that Vijay is most likely to make a pick between his two political advisors – Vishnu Reddy and John Arogyasamy. Vijay desperately needs a person in Delhi to interact with the Centre. His choice will be firmed up when he visits the national capital for the first time on May 28 to call on PM Modi and other Union Ministers. Last date for filing nominations is June 8. TVK which currently has 107 MLAs is the single largest party, with support of 22 rebel AIADMK MLAs. Four AIADMK MLAs have resigned are hoping to seek re-election on a TVK symbol; this could increase TVK’s numbers in the assembly. The Congress is not happy with the TVK’s this approach of augmenting its numbers. At the same time, the Congress is keen to augment its own presence in the Rajya Sabha and hopes Vijay will allot the Rajya Sabha seat to it. If TVK allots the seat to the Congress, the party’s next chance to enter Rajya Sabha independently will only come in 2028 when six members from the state retire. Rahul Gandhi’s aide Praveen Chakravarty has been hoping to make an early entry into RS even it is only for two years. Of course, these issues Vijay will perhaps thrash out when he calls on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at 10 Janpath on May 29.

When Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah received a call from the Congress high command to visit New Delhi on May 26, it brought a lot of cheer in Congress top brass in the state. It was felt the high command was finally providing clarity on the leadership dispute between Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar (DKS). Siddaramiah’s visit to Delhi reignited a state Cabinet reshuffle and transition of power. He was informed about the meeting by AICC General Secretary (org) K C Venugopal. He dismissed as speculation his visit to Delhi as “an imminent leadership transition”. Though there was buzz that he was being called for a Cabinet reshuffle, party sources were still hoping that there would be some change; a new CM, possibly DKS aided and assisted by 3-4 deputy CMs. Of course, sources close to the Sidda camp felt the CM will resist it by pushing for Parameshwara, a Dalit as CM. Congress sources were hoping that DKS could pull off what veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa had managed in 2019 with three deputy CMs. “From CM’s son to Kharge’s son, our list of deputy CM hopefuls is quite large”, said a party source. It is possible, Siddaramaiah is being called for deliberations on the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Given its legislative majority, Congress is comfortably positioned to win three of the four seats heading into the polls. Four Rajya Sabha vacancies have risen upon the completion of the terms of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda and BJP MPs Iranna Kadadi and K Narayana. While the Congress will certainly re-nominate Kharge seat, the BJP is likely to re-nominate the former PM. Meanwhile, there is much speculation that the Congress may bring in former MLA Dr Anjali Nimbalkar into the Rajya Sabha. A physician, she is much remembered for saving the life of an American passenger last year on Goa-Delhi flight.

Soon after returning from his 5-nation foreign tour PM Modi on May 21 chaired a marathon meeting of the Union Council of Ministers at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The high-level meeting, which began around 5 pm, lasted nearly four and a half hours and focused on governance reforms, administrative efficiency and the government’s long-term “Viksit Bharat 2047″ vision. Ministers whose departments disposed of files at the fastest pace were specially highlighted during the review exercise. Of course, while wrapping up the discussions PM Modi didn’t want the ministers to rest on their laurels. He told ministers that the time had come to focus on the future instead of revisiting past achievements. Emphasising on “Viksit Bharat 2047″ as national commitment, he directed ministers to ensure quicker decision-making and reduce bureaucratic delays. A key highlight of the meeting was that for the first time the high-level ministerial meeting organised by the PMO struck an austerity note. Endless cups of chai and bottled mineral water were of course served. What was missing were the usual round of snacks — biscuits and cashew nuts Imagine having endless cups of chai through the four hours. Ministers who were hoping that the meeting would end up with a dinner with PM Modi were clearly in for a shock. They didn’t expect PM Modi to administer a dose of austerity on his own Council of Ministers. Perhaps, PM Modi must have been aware that the ministerial meeting was being held amid the conflict in West Asia, rising fuel prices and the government’s efforts at mitigating these challenges. On May 11, PM Modi had appealed to the people to save the country’s foreign exchange reserves by cutting down on the use of fuel, postponing foreign travel and purchases of gold. He must have thought it is best to begin at home.

Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay expanded his cabinet on May 21 — coinciding with the death anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi – by including his post-poll ally the Congress. Two of the five Congress MLAs, K Rajesh Kumar (Nadar Christian) and P Vishwanathan (Dalit MLA) became part of Vijay’s government. Ahead of the reshuffle, the Congress party said, “This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years.”. Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty wrote on X “Share in governance, Share in power”. It is not clear if the Congress is happy with their portfolios – Rajesh got Tourism and P Vishwanathan given Higher Education. What came in for a surprise is the way veteran leader K A Sengottaiyan was stripped of the Finance portfolio just five days after entrusting him with it. The Finance portfolio has now been given to first-time MLA N Marie Wilson. It is not clear if Sengottaiyan has been downsized as a signal that TVK has lost interest in breaking the AIADMK. It is also being presumed that his close aide Adhav Arjuna may have raised a red flag. Taking a cue from Keralam, Vijay has also carved out a separate AI-focused department to be headed by Velachery MLA R Kumar. Kumar is among the few qualified professionals who have got elected on TVK ticket. What has earned Vijay the kudos from the Hindus is the way he has allotted the Ministry for Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HRCE) to his Brahmin MLA Ramesh from Srirangam — a temple town. This is perhaps happening for the first time in Tamil Nadu history.

Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay is expanding his cabinet on May 21 which will see his post-poll allies the Congress, VCK and IUML joining his government. Two of the Congress MLAs, K Rajesh Kumar and P Vishwanathan will be part of Vijay’s government. In its official statement, the party said, “This is a historic occasion for us, as the Congress joins the Tamil Nadu cabinet after a long gap of 59 years.” The last Congress government was in 1967.  Congress leader Praveen Chakravarty wrote on X “Share in governance, Share in power”. Chief minister Vijay had publicly greeted Praveen as his “friend” in Rahul Gandhi’s presence. It was Praveen who had been pushing for an alliance with the TVK. Will entry of Congress ministers solve Vijay’s problem of managing temples in the state? Difficult to say. Congress sources said the majority of its five MLAs are Christians including Rajesh.   Meanwhile, Sivaganaga MP Karti Chidambaram seemed relieved that Vijay had steered clear of rebel AIADMK MLAs.  In an article in The Week, he admits that “those who had suggested an alliance with the TVK before the election were proven right…And, the Congress adds great value to the TVK by giving it a national endorsement and a secular sheen. So, in my estimation, it is a win-win situation.” At the same time, he feels that the Congress could have managed DMK exit better. By joining the TVK government will it motivate young people to join the Congress? “The Congress is not going to be their first choice; the TVK is a more logical choice”, feels Chidambaram. He feels, Rahul Gandhi with his rapport among the young will prove positive when it comes to a national election. It will probably work in the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.

It seems the DMK has still not come to terms with losing elections. Or else why would the former chief minister M K Stalin take a jibe at TVK leader Joseph Vijay. Speaking at a wedding reception in Thanjavur, Stalin said, “TVK leader Vijay became CM by influencing children through Instagram, without even appointing booth agents properly.” Why is the DMK behaving like a sour loser? Is it because CM Vijay has already drawn up a plan to act against corrupt DMK ministers? It is being said that the DMK is very upset not so much with the TVK winning 107 seats but TN voters that had chosen to decisively move away to a different kind of politics after accepting electoral gifts from it. The DMK would have accepted the verdict if the people had voted for the familiar alternative — the AIADMK. What has unsettled the DMK is that the people voted for an untested TVK.  Vijay was offering to start afresh with a clean slate and had refused to offer voters any incentive for voting him in, except the freebies such as a whopping unemployment allowance and improving allowance for women. Voters had gladly accepted their electoral gifts from the Dravidian parties and yet voted for TVK. In fact, in an angry outburst, DMK Tiruchendur MLA Anitha Radhakrishnan said the TVK administration would not last six months. He insisted that his DMK boss would return soon. Upset about Stalin’s defeat to a TVK candidate from Kolathur, Radhakrishnan blamed voters for defeating Stalin. “Our boss had changed Kolathur to Singapore,” and called the voters “worthless”. Meanwhile actor Rajinikanth’s clarification that he is not jealous about Vijay having made the cut as CM is a bit odd.  Old timers recall his influence on Tamil politics — how his one call vote for DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress alliance in 1996 had brought down J Jayalalithaa government!

Efforts of the Congress leadership to include Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay in the swearing in ceremony of United Democratic Front CM V D Satheesan in Keralam on May 18 has apparently not succeeded. Taking a cue from PM Modi who makes it a point to showcase NDA strength whenever BJP forms government in a state, the Congress too thought it would showcase the long-standing bond between TVK supremo Vijay and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.  Though Vijay has accepted post-poll support of five Congress MLAs in TN and even visited Satya Murthy Bhawan in Chennai, he is yet to formally expand his cabinet to include those MLAs who backed his government during trust vote. Congress sources said CM Vijay would not be attending the Keralam swearing in. He is clearly too focussed on governance issues. If at all he travels, his first trip will be only to Delhi to meet with PM Modi and other leaders in Delhi. That leaves only three Congress CMs — Siddaramaiah (Karnataka), Revanth Reddy (Telangana) and Sukhvinder Singh Sukku (Himachal Pradesh) — who will be present at the function at Thiruvananthapuram. Both Rahul and his sister Priyanka who is Wayanad Lok Sabha MP will attend, so too Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Karnataka’s deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar will also be present.

Efforts to get DMK supremo M K Stalin back into Tamil Nadu assembly are reportedly on. But right nowhe is reluctant — more in “once bitten, twice shy mood”. His manager Sekar Babu who got elected from Harbour Constituency and had managed Kolathur seat from where former chief minister Stalin lost by about 8000 votes is reportedly offering his seat for the party boss. Stalin is also being persuaded to contest the Trichy (East) seat — which has been vacated by CM Joseph Vijay.  Sources say Stalin is reluctant to try his electoral fortunes — either in Harbour or in Trichy once again.  Both he and his wife Durga feel very gamed by all those who were trying to assist them — from Sekar Babu who managed Kolathur to P.E.N, the election management company run by their son-in-law V Sabareesan. When internal assessment of the loss of Kolathur was done within the DMK, one nagging question was: How did Sekar Babu win while Stalin lost?  The Stalins were equally stunned that P.E.N also gave wrong inputs about Kolathur. Not just that. Durga Stalin was particularly surprised that P.E.N gave inputs matching with state police feedback and intelligence unit reports –it was as if the professional agency was coordinating with government agencies. On his part, Stalin is resigned to the DMK playing constructive opposition, and did not mind some of his alliance partners like the Left Partners and the IUML extending support to the TVK government. At the same time, he was bitter about the manner in which Congress dumped the DMK. He found its MLAs who were elected as part of the alliance did not visit DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam after the result and alleged that the party severed ties with DMK within a day.

It may have taken Rahul Gandhi a good 10 days to finalise the name of V D Satheesan as Kerala CM but the fact that he managed to do so resisting the pressure to pick his close aide K C Venugopal is commendable. Satheesan’s elevation as CM is largely being viewed as succumbing to pressure from a key ally, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) with 22 MLAs. In view of IUML’s influence in the crucial Wayanad Lok Sabha seat held by Priyanka Gandhi, many in the Congress feel Rahul may have possibly rewarded the man who was the face of the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s emphatic victory. The UDF won 102 of the 140 seats in the assembly. Even on May 14, the day of announcement Venugopal was prevailing on his boss to rethink his decision. AICC in charge Deepa Dasmunsi apparently had to reschedule her flight to Thiruvananthapuram as Venugopal was playing his mind games. Meanwhile the BJP tried to drum up sympathy for Venugopal saying the Congress had succumbed to pressure of Muslim League. Party spokesperson Shehzad Jai Hind wrote on X that the Kerala CM face had been done under two pressures – pressure from Jamat/IUML, Muslim vote bank, and Priyanka Vadra who did not support Venugopal. But then what does it mean for thousands of Congress leaders who were hoping a Kerala win will take a manipulative Venugopal away from the AICC. A senior Congress leader from South remarked: “It is bad luck for us…we will have to learn to live with this. But the Congress will suffer because of him.  As for Venugopal, it is karma…payback time for him. He was denied a chance to be CM precisely for the torture he has put many Congress workers through.”  Venugopal who has played gatekeeper made Rahul Gandhi inaccessible to party leaders/workers. In sharp contrast, Satheesan is an accessible Congress leader.

Radhan Pandit, a high-profile political astrologer, lasted as OSD to Tamil Nadu CM Joseph Vijay for barely 24 hours — appointed on May 12, removed the following day. Yes he was removed from the office as soon as Vijay overwhelmingly won the confidence vote— with a thumping 144 votes way beyond the support of his 106 MLAs. So, what is it with Rickey Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as he calls himself these days that he dominated the TN confidence debate proceedings? Political analysts are surprised that DMDK leader V Premalatha who first flagged the issue of Pandit’s appointment, should call for vigil to maintain “scientific temperament”. Her call may not reflect popular belief in astrology that prevails in the state where annual or decadal planetary transits usually makes headlines. In fact, there are temples dedicated for various planets and people from North India specifically travel to these spots such as Shani Dev Temple in Thirunallar for “griha shanti”.  Is the call for rationalism, a plan to kill astro spiritual tourism of Tamil Nadu under the TVK regime? Is it the design of Christian church against Hindu temples? Once close to the late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, Radhan Pandit had to flee to Singapore to save himself from her wrath. He had predicted she would get relief in the Disproportionate Assets case. When she was convicted, Jayalalithaa was livid. It was at that point Vettrivel – then known as Erode Vettrivel—moved to Delhi and changed his name. He then tried to hoodwink BJP stalwart LK Advani by telling him that he would be next PM. It was Congress MP Karti Chidambaran who first questioned Raadan Pandit elevation with a subtle post on X “Caligula-Incitatus” referring to the 4th century Roman emperor Caligula’s affection for his favourite horse, Incitatus. Caligula had intended to make his horse consul.

In an interesting move, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay appointed his astrologer Radhan Pandit Vettrivel as his OSD. The appointment reveals Vijay’s dependence on Pandit; it also shows how he values his advice—from the black tilak on brow to the green ink pen he uses for signing files. Meanwhile, in Kerala, where Christians constitute about 18.4 % (Census: 2011) and where the Congress has given at least two Christian chief ministers, this time the party is battling to make a choice from Hindu community of Nairs. The party deliberately decided to project a Hindu CM to break the support base of LDF among the Hindus. The Congress-led UDF was known for a pro-Christian bias. “The days of Christian CMs are over,” says a Kerala Congress leader. Ironically, to break the tie among the three Nair choices, Sonia Gandhi has consulted veteran leader A K Antony. The buzz is Anthony has cast his weight behind popular leader V D Satheesan, even as Rahul Gandhi’s heart is with K C Venugopal. In sharp contrast, Tamil Nadu voted in a Christian CM Joseph Vijay. It is a state where the state manages by law revenues of nearly 36,000 temples and has a ministry to oversee it. What however takes the cake is when DMK leader and LoP Udhayanidhi Stalin once again said, “Sanatana must be eradicated.” This time inside the Tamil Nadu assembly. Udhayanidhi won’t dare to repeat this outside the House as cases are pending outside Tamil Nadu against him on this issue. But what stood out even more was that CM Vijay did not oppose the statement at all – instead, he greeted Stalin respectfully with folded hands. If Udhayanidhi had said “Christianity must be eradicated,” would Vijay have still remained silent? Guess for now, Tamil people are only bothered about Vijay’s freebies. That is if he can deliver!

Nothing has stunned Tamil Nadu political circles more than chief minister Joseph Vijay’s grand gesture of a political outreach on May 11 afternoon. Yes, on the first day of the new Tamil Nadu assembly session, Vijay did the unthinkable, reached out to his political rivals across the political aisle. Beginning with his predecessor and DMK supremo M K Stalin, on whom he called at his Alwarpet residence, Vijay reached out to nearly everyone on the broader spectrum of Dravidian parties. For once Vijay seemed – as if he was either God’s good man or at least a man without any guile. In doing so, Vijay was quite clearly following the great traditions of Tamil Nadu political tradition that was followed by veteran Congress leaders such as Rajaji and Kamaraj. Such leaders were known to maintain good relations with DMK patriarch C N Annadurai.  Apparently, relations between the ruling and the Opposition side turned for the worse only when MGR who led the AIADMK came to power in the 70s. MGR and Karunanidhi of the DMK could never see eye to eye. DMK could never come to power when J Jayalalithaa led the AIADMK. Political analysts believe Vijay is being well-advised to change political tradition and follow the path taken by Kamaraj. In many ways Vijay seems to be taking a cue from PM Modi. After vanquishing Congress, Modi in 2014 had called on Dr Manmohan Singh. Interestingly, Udhayanidhi, who ignored CM Vijay in the assembly, more than made up by warmly receiving him at his house when he came to meet his father Stalin. Vijay also called on MDMK stalwart Vaiko and PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss. Ramadoss’s wife Sowmya is an MLA. Vaiko hailed Vijay’s gesture as a “healthy tradition”. With the Speaker’s election set for May 12, it remains to be seen if Vijay’s grand gesture helps the TVK government come out with flying colour in its first test.

Even before he was sworn in as Tamil Nadu chief minister, C Joseph Vijay did the unexpected. He landed up at the venue nearly an hour before the oath-taking ceremony. He was perhaps determined to shatter myths that film stars are not punctual. Interestingly, he dropped his trademark white shirt paired with grey trousers— a sartorial idea he had picked up from his close friend and ex-Andhra CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and opted for black suit with crisp white shirt. It is not clear if Vijay was advised by a designer or as it is being said these days, he only listens to his astrologer who has a big influence on him. Like it was on his astrologer’s advice Vijay has been greeting everybody with yellow shawls – TN Governor Rajendra Arlekar to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. In his speech after oath-taking ceremony CM Vijay, who enjoys a great bond with Rahul, warmly referred to the Congress leader as “my brother”. He also referred to Rahul’s close aide, Praveen Chakravarty “as my personal friend”. One of the toughest messages of CM Vijay was that he would reach out to anybody—meaning seek Centre’s help — to serve the state’s interest. Shocked by gaping holes in TN’s fiscal management when officials initially briefed him, Vijay is having nightmares about how to implement his poll sops. It is for this reason that as soon as he was sworn-in Vijay made it clear that he would first bring out a white paper on the state’s financial status. DMK has not taken kindly to this swipe. One of the moving images of the swearing in was the picture of Vijay’s parents –filmmaker S Chandrashekhar and singer Shoba Chandrashekhar. Vijay is close to his mother who is a Hindu Mudaliar. He had built a Saibaba temple in Chennai in 2024 for his mother.

Political uncertainty that prevailed in Tamil Nadu over the last few days ended on May 9 evening with Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C Joseph Vijay calling on Governor Rajendra Arlekar and staking claim to form the government with the support of 120 MLAs-elect in the 234-member House. This meeting resulted in the Governor okaying his swearing-in on May 10 at 10 am at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai. It was Vijay’s 4th meeting with the Governor spread over four days. The TVK chief met the Governor only after the VCK and IUML extended unconditional support to TVK. Could these former DMK allies not have extended support right at the beginning? Who was holding them back? Did the DMK first family deliberately delay the formation of Vijay’s government? It is quite an irony that Vijay who raved and ranted against – thiya shakti or evil forces of the DMK — has now become a puppet of the Stalin family. Udhayanidhi Stalin, it is being said, had opposed lending help to Vijay; he fears Vijay opening files against him after becoming CM. Only former chief minister M K Stalin and Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi K batted for democratic support to TVK. Though all DMK allies have technically extended unconditional support, it is possible Vijay will find his hands tied. Left Parties have been told to protest any action against the Stalins. Which in a way means Vijay’s mandate will eventually be subverted by these do-gooders! They will ensure Vijay becomes a puppet in the hand of DMK. Meanwhile, in a post, M K Stalin noted how the Congress did not care to visit Arivalyam and had rushed to sever ties with DMK. Other allies like the Left Parties and the VCK had at least   thanked the DMK for its support.

In spite of a clear mandate in Keralam, the Congress has not been able to finalise its CM candidate. It seems to be a problem of plenty where the Congress leadership is struggling with how to impose its choice – K C Venugopal. There was so much distrust between the MLAs and AICC in-charge Deepa Dasmushi that many legislators did not want to air their views about the CM choice in her presence as they feared she would snitch about their preferences to Venugopal. They were not even willing to speak to AICC observers in her presence. In these circumstances, Rahul Gandhi with no genuine feedback may feel free to thrust his closest aide, Venugopal, to become the CM. The UDF won 102 seats in the recently held Kerala assembly elections. The Congress emerged as the single largest party, with 63 seats. Other than Congress, the alliance includes the Indian Union Muslim League, the Kerala Congress (Jacob), the Revolutionary Marxist Party of India, the Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samithy and others. Rahul is said to have finalised two names. One is Venugopal, the Lok Sabha MP from Alappuzha and also the general secretary of the Congress (for organisation). He has the backing of over 40 MLAs. Venugopal belongs to the Nair community, so do the other 2 contenders—Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheeshan. Rahul is partial towards Venugopal for revamping the Congress organisation. As for Chennithala, he has served as Kerala’s home minister and also the LoP. Chennithala, who is the Congress’s Maharashtra in-charge, is regarded as an organisation man. However, Venugopal may still edge him out as he can arrange funding easily whenever the Gandhi family or the AICC needs. It is being said that big business groups in Keralam are rooting for him. But party workers are fully with Satheesan who was the LoP in the outgoing Keralam Assembly. A social media campaign credits him as the sole architect of the party’s victory. Can Rahul ignore Satheesan?    

Close on the heels of the Congress severing ties with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and extending support to TVK led by Joseph Vijay to form a government, DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi sent a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asking for a separate seating arrangement inside the House. In her letter, she said that in view of the changed political circumstances and in view of the fact that our alliance with the Congress has come to an end, it may not be appropriate for us to continue sitting alongside them in the House. She sought separate seating arrangements for her MPs. Kanimozhi’s requests for separate seating arrangement was reposted on X with interest by BJP national secretary BL Santosh; he had predicted that the Congress surely would end up “with egg on its face”. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took to social media to take a veiled swipe at the Congress after the party’s dramatic political shift in Tamil Nadu triggering fresh questions over the stability of the INDIA bloc. Sharing a photograph from his recent meeting with Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee and another picture with DMK’s MK Stalin, Yadav posted on social media: “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.” Though he did not name any party, the timing of the remark quickly drew attention in political circles, especially after Congress walked out of its long-standing alliance with the DMK in TN and extended support to actor-politician Vijay’s TVK. Yadav’s post also came just a day after he met Mamata Banerjee and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Kolkata following the Trinamool Congress’ setback in West Bengal. The meeting was seen as part of broader opposition efforts to reassess strategy after recent assembly election losses.

Who is behind the violence in Bengal? Since the day election results were declared, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has not conceded defeat. She is apprehensive about her supporters, who might opt to lie low after the debacle. The face of her bhaipo or nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who had challenged Home Minister Amit Shah to come to Bengal after May 4, appeared drained and pale.  The Centre has apparently received intelligence reports of TMC supporters donning saffron clothes and ’tilak’, and holding BJP flags while indulging in violence. In some places, some BJP supporters have also indulged in vengeful action. Videos of most of these acts of violence are available, and it is up to the authorities to take corrective action immediately. It is a good sign that the police have swung into action and incidents of violence have declined. For the BJP, it will be a challenge to ensure peace, end fear in the minds of the public and establish the rule of law. Suvendu Adhikari’s personal assistant, Chandranath Rath was shot dead triggering strong political reactions and intensified scrutiny of post-poll violence in West Bengal. Till now, nearly 200 FIRs have been filed and 433 persons have been arrested. Bengal police, along with central paramilitary forces, are raiding hideouts of anti-social elements, and large quantities of arms and ammunition have been seized. In Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district, more than 20 country-made bombs were seized. Bengal police have set up a helpline for people to dial in case of violent incidents. On May 5, a Trinamool Congress temporary office in Kolkata’s Dharmatala locality was demolished by some BJP supporters, using a bulldozer. BJP leaders claimed that the party office was built illegally in the middle of a busy road.

After Bengal, Telangana is the BJP’s next target in the South? Is it laying the ground to flip a Congress-ruled state? The failure and rejection of BRS, and the unfolding saga of Congress’s rule, ridden by corruption and the non-delivery of promises, have paved the way for the BJP to gear up to set a narrative against the rule of both these parties. In this context, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay’s return has not been ruled out. Sanjay, president of the Telangana BJP in 2023, was considered a powerful orator and succeeded in creating an anti-incumbency wave against the ruling BRS in the state. However, it is believed that his abrupt removal from the post cost the BJP a chance at performing better in Telangana. A long-term plan for Telangana that would carry the party forward beyond any individual is in the works. The BJP is hoping to position itself to capitalise on a possible victory in Karnataka, which goes to the polls just six months before Telangana. Sunil Bansal, master strategist and the BJP’s national general secretary, who is among those credited for delivering Bengal for the party, is expected to visit Hyderabad to give the state leaders a blueprint for 2028, sources say. Nearly a month before Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to Hyderabad on May 10, BJP national president Nitin Nabin and national general secretary Tarun Chugh visited Hyderabad in April, just as Tamil Nadu and Kerala were going to polls. The two leaders met with senior party functionaries and the Telangana Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sangathan mantri, Chandrasekhar Tiwari. In his maiden visit to the state after assuming office for a third consecutive term, PM Modi will launch infrastructure and industrial projects worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore. At present, the BJP has eight MLAs in Telangana and the same number of MPs from the state.

Nothing has shocked the DMK first family more than the defeat of former Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin from Kolathur Assembly constituency, a seat he had represented thrice since 2011. He is the fourth sitting Chief Minister in Tamil Nadu to lose an Assembly election. Stalin had lost by 8,795 votes to V S Babu, the TVK candidate. Interestingly Babu was once a close associate of the DMK president. It is being said Stalin and his wife Durga would regularly visit Kolathur. That is why Durga Stain was shocked that her husband had narrowly lost from a seat that the couple had carefully nurtured—particularly by reaching out to women’s groups. When Durga Stalin asked for feedback from Kolathur women why Stalin lost in spite of regular interface with local women’s groups, she was in for a shock. She was told that the Stalins had never actually interacted with local women. Instead, women from other areas were brought in by busloads to interact with Stalins. Stalin had held the seat since its creation in 2011. He had previously secured the seat with margins exceeding 37,000 votes in 2016 and over 70,000 in 2021. In contrast, son Udhayanidhi Stalin retained his Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni Assembly constituency for the second time.

It may have looked like magic when the Congress rushed its support to the TVK to form the government in Tamil Nadu but allies weren’t happy.  In fact, TVK president C Joseph Vijay met Governor Rajendra Arlekar at the Lok Bhavan in Chennai and staked a claim to form the next government only after receiving a letter of support from the Congress. Yet the letter of support of five Congress MLAs was not enough to convince the Governor that Vijay will be able to provide a stable government with support of113 MLAs– five short of the majority figure of 118. Vijay was hoping other secular parties — the CPI, CPI(M) and VCK – part of the DMK alliance who had two seats each would back him. That did not happen. TVK needed 11 seats to reach the majority. The Left parties and the Indian Union Muslim League ruled out their support. TVK had also sought VCK’s support, sources said, even as he destroyed its support base among Dalit Christians. Interestingly top CPI leadership rued the Congress decision to support to Vijay without “even bothering to consult us.” For the Congress somehow joining TVK government was correcting the mistake of not going with Vijay before the TN assembly polls. All that the Congress bothered was to see that AIADMK, allied with the NDA, didn’t join TVK government. Tremendous pressure was exerted on Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge via his son Priyank Kharge, to back alliance with DMK. This even after Rahul Gandhi and his close aide Praveen Chakravarty were both rooting for a tie-up with Vijay’s TVK. “If only Congress had a pre-poll tie-up with TVK, Vijay would have easily won 140-148 seats…,” says a TN Congress leader. Interestingly, another superstar Rajnikanth, who was also contemplating to enter politics, chose to call on M K Stalin. Will Vijay’s era in TN be the beginning of the coalition era of Tamil politics?

Rise of the BJP in West Bengal in 2026 was fulfilment of a long-cherished wish of the national party. Consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of the BJP to oust Trinamool Congress (TMC) for 15 years of its misrule was something that was waiting to happen. Though it is not clear what is the immediate trigger to push Mamata Banerjee government out, everyone agreed that cut money was getting a bit too much to bear.  It was affecting even the common man. Little wonder that Mamata got defeated even in her own Bhabanipur constituency to arch rival Suvendu Adhikari of BJP. A senior Congress leader says, “Everyone had become so sick and tired of the corrupt TMC set-up that they wanted to get rid of its misrule. They wanted to give the BJP a chance.” It was also felt only PM Modi was capable of overcoming the minority veto power as he had managed to do so in UP, Bihar and Assam — three states that have sizable Muslim populations. “Since 2014, Modi had managed to unite Hindus and make Muslim vote not determine election outcome. He seemed to have a way of uniting Hindus for a common cause. That is what he had achieved in Bengal. It is in this context that BJP victory in Bengal is important,” pointed out a Sangh ideologue. He referred to provocation of a Bangladeshi lawmaker Akhtar Hossain warning of a potential refugee crisis if the BJP came to power in West Bengal. He had aired his concerns in the Bangladesh Parliament about repatriation of illegal Bangladeshis residing in India if BJP came to power in Bengal. But then why did women in Bengal choose to trust PM Modi, even if he had not fulfilled all the promises made to the Matuas in the CAA? Is it because BJP still seemed a decent bet? Possibly.

There’s a fear of post-poll violence in West Bengal!  That is why around 50,000 central forces will remain in the state till counting day on May 4. Yet home ministry mandarins acknowledge that their deployment will remain a constitutional challenge without the state government requisition as law and order are state subjects. The CAPF’s operational powers will be legally limited, creating federal tension. Under Article 324, the ECI requisitions central forces to ensure free and fair polling. But once the ballot boxes are unsealed and votes counted that authority begins to fade. The BJP is confident of winning Bengal but fears post-verdict violence, which Amit Shah wants to prevent. A party source said the Union Home Minister who is likely to arrive in Bengal after the election results are announced on May 4, would monitor the situation to avoid a replay of 2021. Shah has already announced that the central forces would remain in Bengal for two months after the election results to prevent post-poll violence. He has sent his deputy and Union minister of state, Nityananda Rai to Bengal even before the exit poll results were announced. BJP Bengal poll manager and Union minister Bhupender Yadav will reach Kolkata by May 2. Apart from administrative vigilance, Shah asked party workers and leaders to refrain from violence during victory celebrations. State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said, “We want to ensure that what happened to our workers and supporters in 2021 does not happen to anyone this time. We are afraid that TMC workers will attack their own party workers once the BJP wins.,” Both the BJP and Trinamool have issued warnings to each other’s alleged goons over what might happen after the results are declared on May 4. Shah has warned that Trinamool goons will be “hung upside down and straightened out”.

One question that is haunting chattering classes in Delhi is whether Kerala polls will sound the death knell of the Left Parties in India? Will the Left Democratic Front be voted out of its last safe haven from India? After being voted out of Tripura, Bengal, will the Left lose its bastion in Kerala after a successful two-term run under CPI(M) stalwart Pinaryi Vijayan?  Or maybe survive to last a third term on a slender margin. Many Communist leaders are worried! In spite of many scandals, Left leaders are hoping that LDF is voted back. As far as the Lok Sabha is concerned, the Left Parties had their best showing in the 2004 election winning over 60 seats. Today, their strength lies less in widespread electoral success and more in isolated strongholds, alliances, and cadre-based networks. If there is one state where the Left still governs with authority, it is Kerala. The state has a long history of communist politics, dating back to 1957 when the world’s first democratically elected Communist government was formed under EMS Namboodiripad. Five exit polls’ results show the United Democratic Front (UDF), a coalition led by the Congress in Kerala, dethroning the LDF government led by Vijayan, who ruled the state for the last 10 years. In fact, Vijayan’s victory in 2021 was an aberration of sorts. Kerala has had the long-standing practice of alternating between voting for the LDF and the UDF. Kerala’s Left has sustained itself through welfare governance, strong public health and education systems, and disciplined party organisation. Even if it loses ground in the assembly election, the CPI(M) still has a chance of returning to power, given the state’s electoral history.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha who split two-third members belonging to the AAP in Rajya Sabha and helped party MPs in merging themselves with the BJP, is most likely to get a berth in the Union government.  It is being said Chadha’s switch to the BJP had been in the works for some time. With Punjab assembly elections slated to be held early next year, the BJP wanted Chadha to be on its side to prepare for the elections. At the same time the BJP wanted to ensure that the defectors did not lose much. Or at least they remained as MPs. With more than two-thirds — 7 out of 10 — of the AAP MPs defecting, a figure needed for the MPs to retain their membership in the upper house, Chadha ensured he and his colleagues were safe for the time being. Meanwhile, it is being said Chadha’s continuation in AAP had become difficult ever after Arvind Kejriwal began to take an active interest in Punjab. Particularly after he had lost power in Delhi in February 2025 assembly polls. Besides, Kejriwal also did not want Chadha to play any advisory role to Bhagwant Mann government as he himself had begun to take an active interest in Punjab. It is in this backdrop that reports of Chadha cozying up to the BJP began to do the rounds. Kejriwal removed Chadha as the deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha over allegations of not raising key issues against the Modi government and doing “soft PR” instead. Ironically, when Chadha walked out of the AAP – he had two more MPs as part of the merger — Ashok Mittal and Sandeep Pathak, a former IIT professor. Interestingly, Mittal was the AAP replacement for Chadha’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader post.

Rahul Gandhi is upset with the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) chief Selvaperunthagai and wants him to resign after polling in the state. From the face of it the TNCC chief is being hauled up for a translation fiasco.  That is Selvaperunthagai is supposed to have misrepresented Rahul while translating his speech. At a public rally when Rahul by mistake said AIADMK instead of DMK, the TNCC chief also parroted the same line without correcting it to alliance partner, DMK. When his gaffe became viral, Rahul got livid and asked the TNCC chief to stay put in his Sriperumbudur constituency. Party circles in Tamil Nadu are however not convinced that Rahul has taken a harsh view of Selva for gaffe. The buzz in the TN Congress circles is that Selvaperunthagai is being punished for something bigger — the loss of huge sums of election funds that the TN PCC had received. Party bosses see Selvaperunthagai’s alleged role in “missing” election funds – around Rs 25 crore. In fact, it was this hunt for funds that made Selvaperunthagai fake an Income-tax raid on April 20 morning. When I-T denied it had not raided him, he had nowhere to hide his face. The only person who came in support of his fake I-T raid was chief minister M K Stalin. As for Rahul Gandhi he set off on his own for a rally at Colachel, Kanyakumari without the TNCC chief.  It is being said Rahul has come to deeply mistrust the DMK; he has not shared any rally with the ally, nor mentioned DMK’s name in course of his speech. He apparently suspects DMK has purchased Congress men in Tamil Nadu.

The fall of the 131st Constitutional Amendment  (Women Reservation Bill) in the Lok Sabha last week and the BJP ratcheting up attack on the Opposition for not helping in its passage —  complete with PM Modi’s address to the nation, street protests in Delhi and outside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s residence – is not helping ordinary BJP karykarta in Bengal fighting the Trinamool Congress (TMC). In fact, BJP sources are quite puzzled as to why PM Modi tried to even bring a women’s quota bill at this juncture in the midst of Bengal polls. That too, when the government was aware it was set to fall? What was the big idea? Atleast in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) is able to take pot shots at DMK leader M K Stalin for putting the state at a disadvantage in the delimitation gamble. In Bengal, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has gone on a disinformation overdrive. It was as if the defeat of the women’s quota bill had given a new lease of life to the TMC. Her campaign has naturally upset the BJP leaders and workers. Mamata, who was fighting with her back to the wall as she had begun to sense hostilities to the TMC among the Hindus, used the defeat of the Bill to describe it as “beginning of BJP’s downfall”. At a rally in Howrah, Didi went on to portray that the BJP had been “defeated” and was surviving in office only with the support of its allies. She was clearly trying to scare potential BJP voters by portraying that the national party no longer mattered in Delhi. Meanwhile senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot too suggested that the government ought to seek a fresh mandate on the gender issue.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi may be the target of government’s ire for sabotaging the Women’s Reservation Bill. He may also be the visible face for Opposition Unity that helped defeat the 131st Constitution Amendment Bill. However, beyond the facade of political brinkmanship, there are reports that the Leader of the Opposition ( LoP) in the Lok Sabha was not actually immersed in out manoeuvring the Modi government. Apparently on the crucial day of formulating a strategy, Rahul was distracted – NOT engrossed — in the political discussions at the first meeting of Opposition leaders held on April 15, a day ahead of the Parliament special session, at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence. It is being said Rahul was so focussed on his pet dog whom he had brought along and was playing in the lawns outside. It wasn’t not clear if the dog was Noorie, a Jack Russell Terrier puppy, that he had picked from Goa in 2023 or Pidi that really had got on the nerves of Himanta Biswas Sarma. Kharge certainly had anxious moments as the dog was getting restless in the lawn. After a couple of minutes into the meeting, even Rahul could not keep himself away from his pet. It was apparently his day to spend time with his pet.  Soon the canine was ushered into the meeting of leaders. With the presence of the dog in the meeting, most Opposition leaders felt uncomfortable and decided to wind down. It almost seemed like a redux of how Himanta Sarma had reportedly felt when he had to interact with Rahul in presence of his pet dog Pidi about a decade ago.

Opposition leaders who voted out the Constitution (131st) Amendment Bill providing for 33% reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha by 230 votes are somewhat perplexed by the government move to have allowed the bill to flounder on the floor of the House. Opposition benches felt the government had made no effort to reach out to them to secure passage of the Bill. “It was quite clear as if the government just wanted to make only a political point about the defeat of the Bill on women’s reservation…They made no effort to reach out to us, the Opposition,” pointed out a senior Kerala leader. Political analysts feel the government was simply not interested in passage of the Bills, was content with 298 votes and was fishing for a strong political message ahead of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal elections. Now the defeat of the women’s quota bill has provided the perfect handle for the BJP to carry a political message to woo women voters in these two states. There may be thousands of ambitious women panchayat members in these states who may have hoped to move up the ladder with gender quota coming up. However, that possibility has been crushed at least for now by both M K Stalin and Mamata Banerjee.  Of course, incumbent Tamil Nadu chief minister Stalin sees defeat of the Centre’s women’s quota bill as DMK’s triumph over the Centre. In his reply in Lok Sabha debate, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah said “Some may think that if they do not vote for this, the Women’s Reservation Bill will fall. But the women of this country are watching who is creating obstacles in their path. When you go to the ground, you will realise it.”

Nitish Kumar stepped down as Bihar CM within a couple of months after being elected for the 10th term as the state’s longest-serving leader — he has been CM since 2000. His exit surprised a number of his close associates. The JD(U) won 85 seats in the November 2025 elections which was a vast improvement from its 2020 tally of 43 seats. It was only marginally behind the BJP’s tally of 89 seats. Yet, for some reason the BJP had made it clear right from the start that it would lead the government even though the election was won in the name of Nitish as CM. It has also been a surprise that there was no serious resistance from top JD(U)leaders to the idea of Nitish being eased out. Which means it was not just the idea of Delhi cabal – Lalan Singh and Sanjay Jha—who were implementing wishes of the BJP game plan drawn up by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, everyone in the JD(U) too had fallen in line. Maybe the buzz about Nitish ‘s indifferent health may have persuaded the JD(U) cadre to accept the move. Nitish has of course resisted pushing his son Nishant into politics — though the son has joined the party. It is being said that the elevation of deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, an OBC (Khushwaha) as the Bihar CM, is being viewed as a perfect transition and successor to Nitish. Samrat essentially comes from the RJD or the Janata parivar mould; he does not belong to the RSS. As for Nitish, it is being said he may not rush for any role at the Centre and is likely to continue as Rajya Sabha MP. As such party leader Harivansh has been appointed as President’s nominee to Rajya Sabha. He is expected to continue as Deputy Chairman of the House.

It seems Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been very reluctant to canvas in Tamil Nadu which goes to polls on April 23. Party sources admit that Rahul has been so upset with the few seats – 28 — given by the DMK that he has not been responding to phone calls from the DMK. The DMK leadership has been keen to have Rahul Gandhi participate in a joint rally of leaders of   Secular Progressive Alliance in Salem on April 15. DMK picked Salem to showcase secular alliance as PM Modi has visited the place three times and three more visits are in the pipeline. Unfortunately for the DMK, Rahul refuses to take any call from Arivalayam. Keen to solve the imbroglio, DMK bosses have put party MP and actor Kamal Hasan to work on Rahul to attend the   Salem rally.  So far the only high profile leader who has shared a public forum with DMK Chief M K Stalin is Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar who was in Chennai to release the party manifesto. Both Stalin and DKS had a joint campaign on April 11 in Chengalpattu.  It is not just Rahul Gandhi who has not officially endorsed the DMK-Congress alliance. Even his close aide Praveen Chakravarty has been found speaking out against the tie-up and how the Congress deserved more than two dozen seats it had been given. It is being said a section of TN Congress leaders apparently favoured a tie-up with actor Vijay’s TVK. Party sources said Rahul has been so miffed with the DMK that even in Puducherry when both he and Stalin were there in the Union Territory   around the same time, they did not deem it fit to either meet up or hold a joint rally. It remains to be seen if Kamal Hasan succeeds in breaking the ice.

In a bizarre move, a day after Kerala polling, BJP leaders, a father-son duo P C George and Shaun George launched a scathing attack on the Catholic Church accusing it of working against the NDA in the assembly elections. In what seemed like an exercise to cover up for their own failure in reaching out to the Christians in the state, the Georges attacked the Church for “letting them down”. Shaun’s attack particularly surprised BJP circles in Delhi as the duo were considered far too influential and vested with a lot of importance by BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrashekhar. “So why were the Georges shifting the blame on the Church that too even before May 4 poll results? Are they covering up for their lapses? Sources said if the Church went against NDA, it was only because of the way P C George has been campaigning against the Catholic priests. Son Shaun said he expected the Catholic Church to back the NDA parties for the government’s gesture of pausing the FCRA bill. Well the quid pro quo did not happen. P C George too took on the clergy for personally intervening to canvas votes for the UDF candidate in his Poojnar assembly seat; he sought to know if Church was part of the UDF. More than the Georges, what is worrying the BJP is the fate of NDA candidate from Thiruvalla –Anoop Anthony Joseph — whom PM Modi had personally endorsed as his “dedicated companion” and “right hand man”. It is felt that because of the Georges’ attack on Church and clergy, Anoop could face the heat. Besides, Anoop is also up against the son of a Catholic priest. Will PM Modi’s endorsement for the Keralam boy clinch the seat for him? Only time will tell.

The Election Commission has been quite satisfied with the kind of record polling for the General elections for the Legislative Assemblies (GELA) for Assam, Kerala and Puducherry. There was much cheer particularly for the kind of polling that was witnessed in the Union Territory of Puducherry and Kerala where Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter list was carried out. Assam was excluded from SIR ahead of April 9 polls as an NRC exercise in the state is yet to conclude. Nevertheless, Assam and Puducherry surpassed their highest-ever poll-participation by recording 85.38% and 89.83% respectively. Previously, the highest poll-participation in Assam and Puducherry was 84.67% (2016 GELA) and 86.19% (2011 GELA) .  Political analysts concede that it is only natural that SIR — deletion of dead voters or bogus voters — was bound to bump up voter turnout. Inclusion of genuine voters is also known to have a positive impact on poll outcome.  However, in Puducherry it is just not SIR that boosted voting. Entry of    superstar Vijay or the TVK factor is being viewed as an incentive for voting. Though not allowed to campaign in Tamil Nadu by the DMK state machinery, it is being said Vijay still remains popular among women and youth. DMK is so rattled by Vijay’s appeal among women that it had not only been sabotaging his rallies in the state but also sent out its women workers to do door-to-door campaigns in Tamil Nadu against Vijay. The EC took firm action against the excesses of DGP and other senior police officials in TN by transferring them as it did in West Bengal after receiving complaints both from the AIADMK and the TVK.

Assam Police conducted searches at Congress leader Pawan Khera’s residence in Delhi on April 7, a day after a FIR was filed against him by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan over allegations of passport fraud he levelled against her. Searches were carried with aid of Delhi Police. It is being said Khera had left for Hyderabad a day earlier—that is as soon as he learnt that a FIR had been filed against him in Guwahati. The search yielded some “Incriminating material” said the Assam Police. All this led Assam CM to claim that Khera had “run away to Hyderabad”, while Congress hit back saying the searches prove that the CM was “facing imminent defeat” in the upcoming assembly polls on April 9.  Congress sources said even though Telangana CM Revanth Reddy was in Kerala for election work, Khera had a home in Hyderabad and enough clout to secure legal cover for himself. Privately, however, many Congress leaders were not comfortable with the idea of raking up a controversy over Sarma’s wife’s passport. The Congress had held two press conferences in Delhi and Guwahati on April 5 where the party’s media department head, Pawan Khera, and Assam unit chief, Gaurav Gogoi, alleged that Sarma’s wife had passports of the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda. They alleged she owns properties in Dubai (UAE) and has a company in Wyoming (U.S.). They accused Riniki Bhuyan of having business interests worth Rs 52,000 crore in the U.S. Sarma accused the Congress of using documents from a social media group linked to Pakistan to forge alleged passports of three countries belonging to his wife. As for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, he wanted a clarification from EAM S Jaishankar on multiple passports of Bhuyan.

In an interesting move TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee charged DMK chief M K Stalin of having tacit understanding with the BJP. This is outrageous, considering the DMK is part of the anti-BJP INDIA bloc that Mamata associates with according to her convenience. The West Bengal CM has been an all-weather friend of the BJP when it suits her.  Like she was part of the Vajpayee government. Maybe just as the DMK too was. However, Mamata felt quite comfortable taking a swipe at Stalin at a public rally in her state this week. The moot point is why did Didi suddenly find Stalin to be BJP friendly? While four states and a Union Territory headed to the hustings in the next few weeks, Mamata feels the Election Commission which she terms as “BJP stooge”, had only targeted bureaucrats close to her for punitive action. The EC had sent many of Bengal’s IAS and IPS officers to TN. She found that several officers including those instrumental in local law enforcement and development initiatives, had been sent to TN as observers. She alleged that out of 510 officers removed as observers across five poll-bound territories, a staggering 500 (approximately) were drafted from Bengal alone. “What are you thinking? Outsiders from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh will come and (conduct the) vote?” she asked. Meanwhile, as the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA battle it out in TN, DMK surprised political watchers by the way it handled the SIR exercise in the state. It did not make a song and dance of SIR, the DMK simply took it in its stride. This may have led an old ally like the TMC to suspect it of being a friend of the BJP!

⁠Union Home Minister Amit Shah is so convinced that the BJP is in a position to defeat Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) in Bengal that he wants to concentrate more on the state than in Tamil Nadu. Once elections are over in Assam, Kerala and Puducherry on April 9, Shah will spend more than two weeks in Bengal. PM Modi is likely to address two rallies within a week. The BJP has pressed a battery of leaders into action, hoping to unseat the TMC government. “A number of our senior leaders are camping in the state, and more are set to join once the elections in Assam are over…”  says a senior BJP leader. Work is being carried out in silos — at the level of both assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies. The BJP has divided West Bengal into nine zones, each zone is being handled by senior leaders, including ministers such as Dharmendra Pradhan, Nityanand Rai, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Sanjay Jaiswal, and Nishikant Dubey. Most of the leaders deployed so far are from Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, among others.”The fact that Amit Shah ji has himself announced that he will campaign and stay in West Bengal for 15 days shows the party’s commitment and seriousness,” a senior leader said. The BJP is also making sure to counter any ‘negative narrative’ by the TMC to ensure such a depiction does not affect its prospects. For instance, soon after Mamata Banerjee claimed that the BJP would ban fish, meat, and even eggs if it came to power, Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar claimed that Bengal’s next CM from the BJP will be a ‘non-vegetarian’ when it comes to food habits. Shah has said, “I have a shortcut for bringing change to the state. Just make Suvendu Adhikari win from Bhabanipur (against Mamata), and the change is bound to happen.”

Raghav Chadha had been the AAP’s face on national media for years now, but recently the MP came into prominence for taking up “quality-of-life issues”, most of which largely concerned the middle- and upper-middle class. Each of his interventions in the Rajya Sabha was crisp in its own way. Chadha, a technocrat with good communication skills, knew exactly how to highlight them. He has 123 lakh followers on Instagram, and almost 10-lakh on X. He went on to become the Aam Aadmi Party’s leader of the House, and later the deputy with the return of senior colleague Sanjay Singh. It may seem odd that the AAP has stripped Chadha of his post as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha. It is being said that Arvind Kejriwal suspected that Chadha may shift to the BJP ahead of the 2027 Punjab assembly elections. Kejriwal noticed Chadha was not critical of PM Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah. He hasn’t been very vociferous on issues against the BJP. Besides he was found missing in action when AAP may have needed him most. Like when Kejriwal was arrested Chadha was in the UK for eye surgery. Chadha was also absent at the recent “Jan Sabha” at Jantar Mantar, which was Kejriwal’s first public address following his discharge, along with Delhi’s former deputy CM Manish Sisodia. But Chadha has been far from idle and was always present and voluble in Parliament. Chadha campaigned against high samosa-and-chai prices at the airport. Nobody likes paying Rs 350 for a samosa and Rs 150 for a cup of chai. It is an issue that affects at best 5% of people in India who can afford to travel by air. Yet oddly, the government began to work on Chadha’s ideas. Within weeks of his raising the issue, UDAN Yatri cafes opened at 17 airports which offered samosas and tea for Rs 20 and Rs 10, respectively.

With less than two weeks to go for the Kerala Assembly polls on April 9, party workers are intensely praying in Delhi that the Congress decisively wins this election. Prayers for a UDF win is to ensure that powerful AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal — perceived to be the root cause of all problems plaguing the party — moves to his home turf as CM. The Alappuzha Lok Sabha MP had reportedly paved the way for his own career switch by dominating the state candidate list. Majority of the 95 Congress MLAs for 140 assembly seats were picked by him. A sizable section also owe loyalty to senior leader Ramesh Chennithala. A handful of tickets have been given to the most popular CM face — LoP, V D Satheesan. Party sources said if Congress wins, Venugopal is likely to persuade Rahul Gandhi to send him to Thirvanathapuram as CM. “The only thing that may deny Congress a sweep is that we fear Muslims are still not comfortable with us. They suspect we have a pro-Christian bias. Of course, this time all our CM contenders are Nairs. Era of A K Anthony, Oomen Chandy, the league of Christian leaders from Congress is over…yet we found the Muslims were moving away and falling back on Pinarayi Vijayan,” conceded a top Cong source. Of course, the UDF has a long standing alliance with IUML. Besides there is a tacit understanding between the BJP and CPI(M) with the former relying on its NDA ally in Kerala —Twenty20 Party (active in Ernakulam)—to take on the UDF. Meanwhile, former Rajya Sabha deputy chairman P J Kurian stirred some interest by suggesting that Ramesh Chennithala would be the CM. Later Kurian conceded that he had made the remark as Chennithala had just walked into the meeting. “I am aware everything will be decided by Rahulji,” he said.

After the Congress roped in Karnataka deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar (DKS) as a central observer for Assam polls, the BJP initially felt the compulsion to rush in Tejasvi Surya, the young MP from Bangalore South to counter the narratives for the ruling party in Assam. However, DKS who initially felt there was “a strong wind in favour of a change,” in the North Eastern State, going to polls on April 9, changed his opinion after a first-hand assessment. One visit to Guwahati made the senior Karnataka leader change his mind. He felt there was no need to spend precious “resources” on campaigns and candidates. He shared his views with top party bosses including Priyanka Gandhi who is handling the poll-bound state. With steady erosion of Congress leaders who were seen making a beeline to join the BJP, DKS found the Congress organisation itself in a precarious position. Exit of a Lok Sabha MP Pradyut Bordoloi just ahead of elections to 126 assembly seats was a clear indication that the rot had set in. The BJP has set the target to form the government for the third term with CM Himanta Sarma at the helm. By making DKS an important part of the Congress battle in Assam, the party had sought to highlight the commitment of a Congressman. Despite differences with Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, DKS had not betrayed Congress. The Congress wanted to contrast DKS’s commitment to Congress with Himanta Sharma who had quit the Congress to join the BJP in 2015 and became Assam CM in 2021. It also wanted to highlight the success story of Karnataka under Congress. However, with non-fulfilment of guarantees in Karnataka, the Congress will find it difficult to hard sell the Karnataka model in Assam. With or without DKS.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has reportedly emerged as a trouble shooter of sorts for the Congress both in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, considering the way he managed to salvage and seal Congress-DMK deal for the Puducherry Assembly elections on the last day of filing nominations on March 23. While the Congress will contest in 16 constituencies, the DMK will fight on 14 seats. The understanding comes after days of hard bargaining by the two parties. Both had even filed nominations for all seats triggering a new level of tension. In the 2021 assembly polls, Congress fought 14 seats but had won only six while its ally, the DMK fought 13 and won 2. The All India N R Congress-BJP alliance had captured power. The fallout of the Puducherry settlement is that there are huge queues of ticket seekers at Chidambaram’s residence in Nungambakkam residence, TN. It is all because he is seen as someone who has the ear of Tamil Nadu CM and DMK chief M K Stalin. This notwithstanding the fact that Rahul Gandhi has never cared much for the senior leader. Party sources said it is another matter TNCC chief Selvaperunthugai is also a Chidambaram pick.  However, a section of TN leaders are apparently livid that the Congress sealed an electoral alliance with the DMK. These are pro TVK leaders and have lashed out against Chidambaram for sealing a pact with the DMK. Initially the DMK offered less than Congress’s 2021 tally of 25 seats. The Congress was persistent and often loud in criticism and demanding share in power, leveraging on the possibility of aligning with actor Vijay’s TVK. Ultimately the DMK offered 28 seats, and a Rajya Sabha ticket to the Congress.

The AIADMK finalised its seat-sharing arrangement with allies –the NDA — for the April 23 Assembly elections, by allotting 27 seats to the BJP. Under the pact, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) will contest 18 seats, while the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) 11 seats. The agreement was signed at the AIADMK headquarters in Chennai in the presence of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). With merely a week to go for the filing of nominations Tamil Nadu BJP in-charge Goyal arrived in Chennai on March 23 to expedite the process of talks among the constituents of the NDA, headed by the AIADMK in the state. Goyal not only reached Chennai, he also made it a point to visit AIADMK party headquarters where the NDA alliance under EPS’s leadership was announced. The visit of a senior BJP leader to AIADMK headquarters not only sent the “right kind” of message about the NDA alliance, it also busted a few myths. A section of the media was critical about the NDA alliance being worked out in Delhi; it panned EPS’s visit to Delhi to meet and discuss with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to draw a roadmap for the NDA alliance. In his interaction with the media, EPS made it clear that he had no inhibition about interacting with anyone in Delhi. Political analysts in Chennai found EPS being very confident about the way he handled his alliance. In fact, by including every shade of opinion and community like AMMK leader T T V Dhinakaran and PMK leader Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, EPS could be holding the key to a rainbow coalition of OBC castes. As for the DMK led secular alliance, one hears its talks with the CPI (M) have hit a roadblock over one seat.

With barely a few days left for nominations to close for Puducherry assembly elections (Mar 23), Congress leaders were hoping for a miracle. They were hoping that there would be some electoral arrangement with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in the Union Territory. This seemed possible as the party in power — All India N R Congress — sent a message to its partner BJP that it could go alone in the polls. The CM’s Congress colleagues were keen that he break away from the NDA and return to the Congress fold. Jose Charles Martin, the son of lottery tycoon Santiago Martin, had launched his own political party — Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi. But the CM was not keen to include anyone with a lottery background. The CM raised everyone’s hopes in the Congress in TN as he played truant. He had avoided meeting Union Minister Mansukh Mandviya in Puducherry. However, Home Minister Amit Shah ensured all outstanding issues were sorted out and the alliance for 30 seats was finally sealed on March 20. Meanwhile, it is being said Rahul Gandhi has not publicly endorsed the DMK-Congress alliance in TN; it is quite likely that he may not campaign for the alliance. With his close aide Praveen Chakravarty renewing contacts with Vijay, there is a possibility that there could be an informal understanding between the Congress and the TVK in select constituencies in the state. However, more than TN it is the contest in Kerala that is posing a challenge for the Congress. Party sources say return of the Left Front for a record third term is now inevitable with the Congress trailing a good 2% behind. With group clashes coming to the fore, party men feel Kerala can be reclaimed only if the Congress projects a different CM — say a Shashi Tharoor!

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman was replying to the debate in Lok Sabha on the ‘Supplementary Demands for Grants – Second Batch for 2025-26’. Being a Friday, with Private Members’ Business scheduled for the later part of the day, she was hard pressed for time. At the same time that did not stop her from addressing issues raised by MPs of small parties like RSP leader N K Premachandran (Kerala) or Chandrashekhar Azad “Ravan” (chief of Aazad Samaj Party,UP).  Sitharaman took up the matter of Premachandran censuring the government for providing emergency situations like the current West Asia crisis. “It is ironic that even when I am talking about how the government is preparing to face any unexpected events, including supply chain disruptions and LPG, they (Opposition) are not willing to hear the reply. They want to have their own agenda. Sit on the stairs and have chai and talk about LPG. This is our Opposition,” FM said. With Azad, Sitharaman fact-checked his complaints about lack of amenities for his voters and reeled off data to counter him. However, the best part was when she informed the House how Vidur, the wise man of Mahabharat – paternal uncle to the warring brothers Pandavas and Kauravas had settled down in Azad’s constituency. “Azad ji, I do not know why you are using Ravan in your name. Guess, Vidur would be more appropriate,” she suggested. Meanwhile, on the LPG situation the government made it clear that there have been no reports of dry-out situations at any of the 25,000 LPG distributorship in the country. Though there has been surge in the number of LPG bookings on account of panic buying. Daily bookings have increased from average 55.7 lakh to 76 lakh.

Ever since the DMK and the Congress firmed up their alliance for upcoming the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, the BJP leadership in Delhi is keen that superstar Vijay and his party – the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) — should be part of  the NDA in Tamil Nadu. Reportedly, over the weekend, Andhra Pradesh deputy CM Pawan Kalyan, who is also an actor, did share his own experience of ploughing the lonely furrow. Kalyan had gone alone to the polls with Janasena Party in 2019. He impressed upon TVK chief Vijay…what the prospect of the TVK would be if he were to join the NDA alliance. What it could mean for TN politics in this round of assembly elections — Vijay’s dream of routing the DMK would now become achievable. He could become deputy CM like him or achieve the status of what the late DMDK chief Vijaykanth had achieved in 2011. “As of now the AIADMK led BJP already has an edge in the polls. However, if Vijay’s TVK joins the NDA, the alliance will sweep the polls. Maybe it will win 200 out of 234 seats”, said an analyst. Meanwhile, the DMK has got so desperate about a comeback that it has even begun to widely publicise the community — Dalit fisherman — of a Rajya Sabha MP candidate it is going to elect on March 16. While joining NDA may help Vijay to sort out Karur tangle straight away, it is being said there are elements in TVK like his close aide John Arokiyasami who may not like him to team up with the NDA. John is an ex-associate of Prashant Kishor from his I-PAC days.

In an unusual move on March 7, President Droupadi Murmu visited Bidhannagar in Phansidewa, Darjeeling district and planted a tree at Bidhannagar Santoshini Vidyachakra School Gate. It was to be the venue of the International Santal Conference. For some reason the West Bengal Govt refused to give permission for the Conference to be held in the Adivasi majority area and wanted it to be held at a distant congested site near Bagdogra airport. President Murmu travelled more than 30km to Bidhannagar to meet with the Adivasi people. Refusing to get bogged down by the lack of protocol — President Murmu was not received by the CM or Chief Secretary or a senior minister, President Murmu aired her anguish over the manner in which she was humiliated among her very own people — the Santals in Bengal. She attacked  the state apparatus that changed the venue of the Santal Conference at the last minute so that fewer people could attend. Exposing anti-Adivasi mindset of the Bengal Govt, President said, “They chose a place for the conference where the Santal people couldn’t go. Protocol demands that if the President visits a place, she should be accompanied by the CM or ministers. “It is still not clear why Mamata was discourteous to President Murmu? Is it because of the buzz that the state could be placed under President’s Rule ahead of the assembly polls? What set off the buzz is that the state has got a no-nonsense new governor, R N Ravi from Tamil Nadu where he was being made a hot poll issue by the DMK. But then a President Rule is exactly what Mamata will want. As it will help her play the victim card. Like her broken limb had helped her swing the last elections. But then why would the Centre fall for her bait?

Choosing to make a statement on his personal life ahead of Tamil Nadu assembly elections, TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) chief Vijay decided to bring his status with actor Trisha out of the closet. He chose to attend a wedding reception in Chennai with Trisha amid his on-going divorce case with wife Sangeetha Sornalingam. Images of him and Trisha arriving at the wedding, dressed in twinning traditional outfits have apparently gone viral. It is being said Vijay’s decision to go public about his relation with co-actor Trisha could have been inspired by the way his wife Sangeetha levelled charges of adultery, infidelity and mental cruelty against him. She accused him of having an extra-marital relationship with an actor, without naming Trisha. Politically, the divorce case filed in Dec 2025, seems to be caught in the shadow-boxing between Vijay and TN deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin. The buzz is that it was Udhayanidhi who got details about wife’s petition in a district court and had it leaked to the Chennai media in the run-up to the assembly polls. TVK leaders feel the leak of the divorce of the news was more an effort by the DMK’s dirty-tricks department to harm Vijay’s fan base among women voters. It is felt the deputy CM may be disappointed now that the divorce news is not impacting Vijay’s following among women. As of now, nothing seems to be working on the women voters who get euphoric when Vijay arrives on the scene. The women in the state apparently don’t  care about Vijay’s status with Trisha or his wife, he remains  popular with them.

When Nitish Kumar, JDU president and Bihar Chief Minister, filed the nomination papers for the March 16 Rajya Sabha election on March 5 making a big shift from the Assembly to the Parliament after two decades of leading the Bihar Govt there was a sense of unease. On X, Nitish gave a very odd reason to quit the state political scene. He said wanted to become a Rajya Sabha MP after having been a MLA, MLC and Lok Sabha MP. It is being said that the JDU chief who has been elected as Bihar CM for 10 terms, had begun to feel the pressure to move on soon after the November 2025 Bihar assembly polls. JDU sources concede that Nitish’s fate was written into the script of Bihar results. Collapse of the RJD at the hustings, where it won a humble 25 seats, left Nitish with very little option to do a flip-flop or do a paltu ram. It was also said during the polls, the JDU strongholds had not backed the BJP adequately. Notwithstanding this, the BJP finished first with 89 seats and JDU bagged 85. To resist BJP pressure, Nitish began exploring an alternative in January itself. He tried to persuade Upendra Khushwaha to merge his party RLSP with 4 MLAs with JDU. Khushwaha didn’t respond as he may merge his party with the BJP. “To get a majority in Bihar Assembly, a ruling combine must have the support of 122 MLAs. Nitish realised he was getting nowhere near the magic figure. That is when he threw in his towel,” pointed out an old colleague. The BJP, had its own reason to effect change. The most important being Nitish was increasingly moving away from governance. Blame it on his failing health, power and decision-making was apparently being left to the state Chief Secretary.