Samajwadi party’s suspended MLA Abu Azmi has refused to apologise for his controversial statement praising Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, who tortured Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj to death. While passions are extremely agitated against Azmi’s statement, he has told Marathi TV channel ABP Majha that he stands by his praise of Aurangzeb. In the interview, Azmi has levelled many charges against those who spoke against him while supporting a unanimous motion by the state legislative assembly to suspend him for the remaining duration of the current budget session. Some of the critics described Azmi as a ‘B Team’ of the BJP since the clamour for his suspension caused the issue of resignation of minister Dhananjay Munde to be pushed to the backburner. Azmi hit back by saying that only such matters which benefit the BJP are raised. “You will not know when those making such charges will go with the BJP,” he retorted. Azmi’s kudos of the oppressor Aurangzeb have had repercussions in Uttar Pradesh legislature, too. UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, while denouncing Azmi, roared, “Send him to UP, we will take care of him.” After his suspension from the assembly, the state government has decided to file a criminal case against him for his utterances. The all-party outpouring against Azmi has caused unprecedented unanimity between the ruling NDA government and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi. Nonetheless, Azmi is adamant about his stand. “I have not apologized for my statement, I have merely said that I shall withdraw it in case it has hurt anyone’s sentiments,” he maintained.

Did Home Minister Amit Shah and Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar have a secret understanding? That is when they met in Coimbatore at Isha Foundation for Mahashivratri? Karnataka BJP has made a provocative statement, drawing parallels between DKS and Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena breakaway leader Eknath Shinde. “There are many in Congress who could be like Eknath Shinde, DKS might be one of them,” claimed Leader of the Opposition R Ashok suggesting that the Congress strongman could be on the verge of engineering a split within the party. Ashok’s remarks assume significance as he, like DKS, also belongs to the Vokkaliga-Gowda community.  BJP sources indicate that Shah had a 15-minute one-on-one meeting with Shivakumar. It is this factoid of information that had fuelled Karnataka BJP leadership to ratchet up murmurs of infighting within the ruling state Congress. Sensing an opportunity to deepen the cracks, BJP leader Ashok said he had long anticipated a leadership change within the Congress-led government, hinting that CM Siddaramaiah could soon make way for DKS in November this year. DKS, however, dismissed all speculation of a political switch as baseless. He also categorically denied any plans to defect to the BJP, dubbing the claims as “BJP propaganda.” “I am a born Congressman and committed to leading the party to victory in the 2028 assembly elections,” he asserted. As for his recent religious visits, Shivakumar downplayed its political significance. It is being said, he is very unhappy with the way Rahul Gandhi is treating him. DKS apparently had been promised that he will be made CM when Siddaramaiah completes two years in office in November. But the Congress high command is scared that Siddaramaiah will split the party if he is asked to step down for DKS. 

It may be a genuine slip of the tongue or deliberate but opponents don’t miss the opportunity to make the most of it. Recall while addressing NRI audiences in the USA in 2014, PM Modi referred to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi as Mohanlal Karamchand Gandhi. Similarly, while talking about Ayushman Bharat health scheme, Modi said it allowed a resident of Jamnagar to avail treatment anywhere in the country — be it ‘Kolkata’ or ‘Karachi’. A few months back, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said “May Narendra Modi become CM again”. Recently, Andhra Pradesh Governor S Abdul Nazeer, while addressing a joint session of both the houses, addressed the chief minister as ‘Narendra’ Chandrababu Naidu instead of ‘Nara’ Chandrababu Naidu. Was it a Freudian slip? Similarly, during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, BJP leader Dr Sambit Patra while canvassing for votes in the holy city of Puri, told the gathering that “Lord Jagannath is my bhakt”. Two years back a Congress spokesperson misread PM Modi’s full name. Andhra Pradesh Governor’s unintended slip was trolled. And looks like the opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress party is leaving no stones unturned to capitalise on this golden opportunity to get some publicity for his party and party men.  Political analysts say this tit-for-tat is repeating in Andhra Pradesh once again. In June 2019, the then newly appointed deputy CM P Pushpa Srivani belonging to the YSR Congress faction while addressing a Press Conference inadvertently said her government aimed to deliver “corrupt rule” instead of saying “corrupt free rule”.. It’s not endemic to India, it happens world over. Recall how UK PM Keir Starmer accidentally asked for the release of Israeli ‘sausages’ instead of ‘hostages’. 

The selection of the next state president of the West Bengal BJP has sparked intense debate within the party. Multiple candidates are under consideration, with survey agencies playing a crucial role in the decision-making process. Traditionally surveys were used for selecting candidates during elections. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have relied on survey agencies to gauge the political climate across the states. In Bengal, such surveys were used to select candidates for the 2021 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Shah personally monitors the Bengal BJP unit, aided by the Ahmedabad-based political strategy firm. A major recommendation is to consolidate the party’s leadership without violating internal policies. Currently, different factions exist around state president Sukanta Majumdar, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, and former president Dilip Ghosh. Additionally, the two leaders handling organizational matters have their own support bases. To resolve this, the survey agency suggests appointing a state president who won’t emerge as a rival power centre, possibly a MP from tribal or marginalized communities. Another suggestion is to establish a campaign committee, likely led by Suvendu, which would allow him to play a crucial role without violating the “one person, one post” rule. Former president Dilip Ghosh is expected to have an expanded role in reviving BJP’s presence in Rarh and Jangalmahal regions. Amit Shah’s upcoming visit to Bengal is expected to finalize the party’s electoral strategy. The selection process for the next president is critical, with names like Jyotirmoy Mahato, Samik Bhattacharya, and Subrata Chatterjee being considered. Chatterjee’s organizational expertise and RSS background make him a strong contender.

Former J&K Governor, Manoj Sinha, under whose watch sections 370 and 35 (A) were shrugged off from India’s constitution, elections held in Ladakh, J&K Union Territories peacefully, has made the shortlist for appointment as BJP’s next National President come March 15. Even former Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and Bhupinder Yadav are in the fray with the latter enjoying a slight edge over the former, who donated all his property to the PM Relief Fund. Some within BJP are unenthusiastic over Sinha’s candidature though he always held vital Ministries even earlier. His lack of organizational (general secretary post) skills has RSS less than supportive. “Sinha was never overtly pro-Hindu. He restarted religious processions of the Shia community, stopped since militancy peaked in the forehead state of India.” His less than friendly relationship with   UP CM Yogi Adityanath (who put his foot down when Sinha was seriously considered for CM’s post in the Hindu heartland state of UP). Then, BJP’s high command acceded in deference to Yogi, made Sinha (who lost Gazipur seat) wait two years before appointing him as J&K Governor. Outgoing President JP Nadda was similarly RSS’ first choice in 2014 and yet, PM Modi anointed Amit Shah. Thereafter, Nadda was accommodated as leader of Rajya Sabha, a post Piyush Goyal had to vacate. Nadda’s organisational helming of affairs for BJP was marred by Himachal Pradesh loss, his own backyard state, his exit from top leadership post became an almost certainty, although he was given one year extension due to 2024 general elections of India.

The next BJP chief could be announced within a fortnight, sources have indicated, citing that the organisational elections of the party have been completed in 12 states. Sources said the party’s national president was likely to be announced before March 15 or Holi. For the election of the BJP president, organisational elections in 50% of the states is a must. Before that, elections are held for booth, mandal, and district levels. Currently, elections in only 12 of 36 states are complete. So, elections for unit chiefs in at least six more states are needed. The BJP is fast-tracking the process in states that are due for assembly elections next year — Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat. Incumbent BJP chief JP Nadda was unanimously elected the BJP national president, and took over from current Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2020. His tenure was extended until June 2024 in view of the Lok Sabha election. A number of names have been doing the rounds. While everyone thought it would be someone from the OBC community like Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan or Bhupinder Yadav, UP deputy CM Keshav Maurya was also seen pushing his case. However, post-Maha Kumbh and   with UP assembly elections down the road, it seemed unwise to disturb power equations with CM Yogi. Party sources made it clear that the next chief would have to be from the north and most likely with a strong organisational background. All this indicates that the next chief was likely to be Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar– a two-term Haryana CM, who by the way speaks Tamil (TN CM Stalin may note). He leads the race as he enjoys PM Modi’s trust. Just as Nadda did.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar’s intimate dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in New Delhi a couple of days ago has once again miffed the principal players in Maharashtra politics. Although their cosy relationship is well-known, the Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) have been finding it difficult to decipher the hidden message, if any, behind the conversation between the two giants. Obviously rattled by the development, Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut has wondered how Modi could sit beside a leader whom the PM had described as ‘a wandering spirit’ during the state assembly electioneering in November last. The Congress has preferred to maintain silence as its state leaders are aware of Pawar’s connection with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge and hence don’t wish to invite the ire of the high command by rubbing Pawar the wrong way. But Pawar’s detractors allege that Modi is appeasing Pawar since his NCP has eight Lok Sabha members and the ruling BJP at the Centre needs as much support as possible on the floor of the house. Pawar’s daughter and party MP Supirya Sule has defended the meeting, saying that both leaders are political masters and know what they are doing. Of late, Pawar has been pursuing his own policies, not caring about the possible fallout from the Congress or the Sena (UBT), the two Maha Vikas Aghadi partners. The Pawar-Modi dialogue has once again kicked off a guessing game. 

First-time MLA Rekha Gupta was sworn in as the fourth woman chief minister of Delhi before a huge gathering at the historic Ramlila Maidan. Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa — all three CM hopefuls — who were touted for their caste and community representations simply fell aside. Rekha stood out only because she had all the qualities to perpetuate and popularise the BJP in Delhi. The years she had put in as municipal councillor prepared her for the top job. Her Baniya caste also worked in her favour. In a state with an adverse sex ratio in terms of voters — male voters (83,76,173) outnumbering women (72,36,560), women voters overwhelmingly backing BJP, the party had no choice but to go for a woman CM. BJP sources say while Modi wanted to thank Delhi women voters by picking Rekha, male stalwarts lost out to factionalism. Rekha Gupta’s first responsibility will be to ensure that women get Rs 2,500 every month, as was promised in the BJP Sankalp Patra. More than that it will be to get Yamuna cleaned up by November ahead of Chhat puja — that is before Bihar polls.  In fact that is Modi’s agenda  and he has  tasked  Rekha and her team to ensure that priority basis .  BJP sources says Rekha’s rise shows that BJP is reinforcing its image as a party that champions women-centric politics. It shows how the party is prioritising its representation through 33% reservation in BJP organisational structure.  After all Modi was mocked by the Opposition for not implementing women’s quota bill (passed in Sept 2023) straightaway in 2024 Lok Sabha polls; now he has shown the way.  

Tamil Nadu’s father and son duo of MK Stalin and Udhayanidhi Stalin have embarked on a fight to the finish with the Centre on all issues. They know well that this confrontation is not going to get the state anywhere in terms of funding from the Union in important areas like education, but they are convinced that they will have the Tamil people more on their side if they continually oppose PM Narendra Modi, the BJP and the Centre. Their latest battle has lain in the third language formula domain in which the state will get more than Rs 2,100 crore funding if they adopt the New Education Policy. It is known that the third language need not necessarily be Hindi and can be any official language of India that a school offers, including the mother tongue of students who are from outside the state. But that has not stopped the father-son from ignoring the fact that the third language is not necessarily pro-Hindi nor Hindi imposition. It is the Tamil psyche shaped by the anti-Hindi agitation of the 1960s that the duo is exploiting along with their party that came to power because of the language agitation that began nearly a century ago when C Rajagopalachari oversaw the Madras Presidency in the 1930s. They are playing to the gallery and getting under the skin of New Delhi. Tamil pride and Tamil angst are what they are depending on as they plan to keep power. 

BJP’s loser in two assembly elections as well as for Mayor’s post of Delhi MCD, Rekha Gupta, can’t believe her luck after anointment as Delhi’s chief minister, over giant killer Parvesh Verma and Vijendra Gupta, new Speaker of the state legislative assembly. The BJP high command intends to transform Delhi into the best example of governance although currently exemplifying everything wrong across public welfare parameters following decade long AAP misgovernance. Before Gupta aligned with the legacy of late Sheila Dixit and, more recently Atishi Singh Marlena, PM Modi had requisitioned Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena for Yamuna clean-up. Saxena’s political link up with the Union Home ministry makes crystal clear who (Shah) runs Delhi’s political affairs and, at whose (Modi’s) behest? Political pundits confused over deputy CM Parvesh Verma, who successfully fought against Arvind Kejriwal, being overlooked for CM’s post. Even Vijendra Gupta, a Baniya from Kejriwal’s community, won MLA seat in the last three state assemblies even when AAP won 67 out of possible 70 MLAs. Both shadow CMs, will bolster Delhi’s affairs backing CM Rekha Gupta. Next up is an ambitious plan to ramp up and extend the Metro rail services in and around Delhi. That apart, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has set three-year deadline to complete mega flyovers project directly connecting Delhi with UP (Noida, Gurugram, Meerut) and Haryana to island national capital against vehicular traffic flowing through it and headed to these destinations to reduce pollution quotient (AQI) of Delhi. Delhi’s public transport service will also be replaced with 100% pollution free EV buses.

There was that brief break when Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai was in the UK for about three months. During that period, the internecine war between the DMK and Annamalai paused, only to start again, this time with overt threats and challenges. As it is the DMK is seeing bright red as BJP is withholding the education funds for TN, demanding the three-language formula be introduced in the state. Views are strongly divided on this daunting issue — a consensus compromise has to be reached. Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin has thrown the gauntlet; the DMK is openly saying that it will no longer be “Go back Modi” but a more virulent “Get out Modi”. Annamalai, just waiting for a chance to retaliate, has issued a fresh challenge with a prickly hashtag, “Get out Stalin” and has thrown the gauntlet “let’s see which hashtag gets the most hits”. In terms of dignified and grace filled political exchange, this appears totally immature. Minister for Health, Ma.Subramanian says, “Annamalai should control his speech”. For his part, Sekhar Babu, (minister for HR & CE), His Masters Voice for Stalin Sr and Jr is optimistic that the more hits DMK gets from BJP, the more DMK will bounce higher like a ball.  “Let Annamalai stand against our lowest level DMK cadre in the Assembly election. Its victory for the DMK”. Juggernauts are ready for the Colosseum.

In Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian major AIADMK is going through a minor crisis of confidence with a senior member in Sengottaiyan staying away from an event that felicitated the party chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS). The former minister explained it away saying he was told there would be no portraits of party founder MGR and his protégé J Jayalalithaa at the venue and the party explained it away by saying the event was by a federation of farmers. The minor misunderstanding alone is not, however, what the leader and former chief minister EPS is facing. He is deprecated as the ‘dubbing voice’ of the BJP by TN chief minister MK Stalin and assailed every day by those who he had forced out of the party like TTV Dhinakaran of the Sasikala clan. While Palaniswami may be forced to accept that to go with the BJP in the Assembly elections of 2026 could be the only option given the scattered vote share of the Opposition, he is being offered an olive branch by the ousted former chief minister O Panneerselvam (OPS) who now senses an opportunity to call for unifying all forces so the party may regain the strength of old and be a force to be reckoned with in the state. OPS is now saying he is willing to patch up and return even with EPS as chief. provided fair elections are held soon with all party members allowed to vote for their chief. Meanwhile, word has come in that political advisers are saying that only a front against the ruling DMK with AIADMK, BJP and Vijay’s fledgling TVK could fancy its chances of downing the ruling party. 

Maharashtra keeps proving that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. So, the BJP which had launched a vociferous diatribe against Ajit Pawar’s Dhananjay Munde in Beed through its local legislator Suresh Dhas there, suddenly mediated a peace meet between them signalling de-escalations in political tensions on that front. Maharashtra reeled in a shock when Dhas admitted to dropping in to check up on Munde’s health following a surgery after spending weeks accusing his aides of extortion and murder. Uddhav too has started warming up to BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis prompting talks of a BJP-Sena alliance after calling each other names like Fadtus and Kadtus to each other. Fadnavis though met up with his cousin Raj Thackeray sparking talks of BJP aligning with him. Uddhav’s bete noire Eknath Shinde, on the other hand, displayed signs of warming up to Sharad Pawar. Sharad Pawar played a masterstroke by publicly felicitating Shinde, praising him and clearly dropping out Uddhav Thackeray from his books like a hot potato. Shinde these days is already having an upper hand with Operation Tiger; he intends to poach Uddhav’s three MPs. Ajit Pawar has already started attending events with the senior Pawar on the dais sparking talks of both the NCP factions warming up to each other. Amidst all these shifts and readjustments, probably to gear up for the forthcoming local body polls, the Congress is the only party which finds itself left lonely to nurse its wounds all alone. 

There is no dearth of one sensational turn after another in Maharashtra politics over the past three months. Ever since the state assembly election results came out in November, the polity has been in upheaval. The latest such development is firebrand leader Chhagan Bhujbal’s obeisance to RSS top leader Bhayyaji Joshi. Of and on attacking the Sangh Parivar, Bhujbal had nurtured his image as a secular follower of NCP founder Sharad Pawar. Many observers recalled how Bhujbal was the first to split the Shiv Sena in 1991 when Balasaheb Thackeray was at the height of his popularity. The issue was Thackeray’s refusal to accept the Mandal Commission report.  Again, it was Bhujbal who was among the top disciples of Pawar to join the newly-floated NCP in 1999. He rose to become Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister. The recent vertical split in the NCP found Bhujbal joining the faction led by Ajit Pawar and many of his closest workers were astounded. In a recent surprising turn, Bhujbal was not accommodated in the cabinet formed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. He had publicly lamented that Fadnavis wished to make him a minister but Ajit had stalled the move. Owing to such happenings, there is a whispering campaign to suggest that Bhujbal is on his way to join the BJP. He himself has never discounted this possibility. On top of this, Bhujbal’s unreserved praise of Bhayyaji at a Ram temple in Niphad in Nasik district a couple of days ago has once again heightened suspense about his next move. 

In Odisha’s BJP circle all talks are about who will take over as the state’s BJP president. One of the selection criteria is that whoever takes the top job position, should not pose any threat to the incumbent chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The CM has the full backing of the PM. This is why one of the top contenders for the president’s post Manmohan Samal may lose out but has the credentials for the top job. He played a decisive role in ensuring a big BJP win in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and sources say, if he is made Odisha BJP president there is a possibility that his personality could overshadow that of Majhi. So, Samal’s strong personality goes against him so far. With a view not to upset the apple cart the party high command are also looking at other names such as Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi MP from Kandhamal, Dr Jatin Mohanty- BJP General Secretary, Golak Mohapatra BJP Vice President, Sukeshi Oram. In all this rat race, one thing that has become loud and clear is that the Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who had trained his eyes in the CM’s chair for a long time will have to forget it. Majhi is here to stay. 

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit has given indications that the organisation can change its course. At a party meet in Mumbai, Amit has dismissed his father’s claim that EVMs were responsible for his party’s defeat in the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections. Raj had only recently doubted the election results by alleging that EVMs were manipulated to engineer the BJP’s victory. In a bold departure, Amit has told the party leaders that it will be futile to blame the EVMs and that a thorough introspective has been called for. Amit’s candid admission has assumed significance against the backdrop of local body elections, including in Mumbai, lurking on the horizon. Amit reportedly said in that meeting that notwithstanding his father’s observation about the EVMs, he was of the opinion that there were other reasons for the sorry performance. Amit had lost the assembly election from Dadar-Mahim constituency, the Shiv Sena’s birthplace in 1966. Amit’s outspoken stand and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis calling on Raj Thackeray just before the MNS meet are hardly a pleasant coincidence. Moreover, certain BJP leaders announcing that the party could go alone in the Mumbai civic election have been considered as a warning for the Sena led by deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. An additional factor is the nervousness pervading the Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray amidst reports that many of its prominent leaders are on way out. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reportedly accepted an invitation of the Tamil Nadu BJP to inaugurate the newly constructed party office in southern most part of the state — Ramanathapuram on February 26. From there he will be travelling to Coimbatore. Around the same time PM Narendra Modi will also be in the state to  relaunch the new railway bridge connecting mainland India to Pamban Island at the south western tip of Tamil Nadu; it  is expected to open for train traffic on February 28. Built over nearly six years at a cost of Rs 531 crore, the 2.1-km structure has been hailed as an engineering marvel. It is India’s first vertical lift bridge, featuring a navigational span that can be raised up to 17 metres to allow floating pontoons. The decision to construct a new bridge was taken in 2019 after the old cantilever bridge — opened on February 24, 1914 — became structurally weak due to corrosion. Train movements on it stopped in December 2022. The old bridge was a historic engineering marvel until India’s longest sea bridge — Bandra-Worli Sea Link opened in Mumbai in 2010. Besides, it also had several limitations. Its Scherzer rolling lift span had to be operated manually by 16 people, and the process took 45 minutes. The old bridge had only a single, unelectrified track. In contrast the new bridge has been designed for a speed of 80 kmph due to the presence of a 2.65-degree curve. The old bridge had a speed limit of 10 km. As many as 130 trains can operate on the bridge per week. Currently, trains terminate at Mandapam, 17 km northwest of the temple town of Rameswaram.

In Maharashtra, the three-party Opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will have to draw its roadmap afresh since tension is growing within the anti-BJP combine, whose only game plan is to oppose the ruling Mahayuti saffron alliance. But the picture for MVA is not too bright since the NCP led by Sharad Pawar does not have much space in the state politics although it performed well in the last Lok Sabha election. The state NCP president Jayant Patil has been holding the reins for the past decade but has been retained despite vociferous demands from the rank and file for his replacement. Pawar’s recent feelers to the NDA have not gone down well for MVA. On the other hand, the Sena led by Uddhav has been losing its leading lights with frightening regularity. Still, Uddhav is not seen ready to change his style of functioning. Continuous reports about his Lok Sabha MPs deserting the party have created grave apprehensions within the organization. The third MVA partner, the Congress has appointed a new state president by choosing the relatively unknown Harshwardhan Sapkal, a Maratha leader from Vidarbha. But there is no enthusiasm seen in the organization.  In short, the Opposition in Maharashtra is in a disarray and will have to mend its house soon to mount an effective challenge to the ruling dispensation. Not surprisingly, Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray’s decision to meet Rahul Gandhi and Arvind Kejriwal but not Sharad Pawar has generated fresh speculation about the future of MVA.

Even as PM Modi promised to repay the trust Delhi voters placed in his party by vowing  to turn Delhi into a “developed capital of a developed country” and said he will fulfil BJP’s poll promises, clean the Yamuna and ensure accountability for corruption under the AAP regime by promising to present all pending 14 CAG reports in the  assembly, many within the party wondered if it was enough to oust AAP out of the  Delhi state assembly. Or more needs to be done. As Modi said “This is not an ordinary victory. The people of Delhi have driven out AAP-da. The mandate of Delhi is clear.” BJP insiders pointed out that when the new Delhi government will begin its work on making the city garbage free, it is quite possible that AAP could still put a roadblock on its work via the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). That is because AAP controls the MCD with its 134 councillors; the BJP has 104 councillors. Elections to the civic body were held in December 2022. A section in the BJP feels Modi government should go in for fresh MCD polls in the light of assembly poll win, if it must clean up Delhi. Party sources, however, feel there is no need for any drastic step as many AAP MLAs and councillors may want to cross over to the BJP seeing the public mood. Sources also acknowledged that the BJP hugely benefited getting the lion’s share — an estimated 67% of women’s vote. It was clearly the Haryana effect of Rs 2100 payout under Lado Lakshmi Yojana that had swung the Delhi women to the BJP. They were no longer enamoured by AAP’s free bus rides.

BJP’s Delhi win has bolstered its Lok Sabha plan to up the numbers from the earlier 272 target to 289 plus in coming days. Decks are being cleared to usher in three long pending legislations before Parliament to include Uniform Civil Code, Waqf Board reforms and finally the One Nation One Poll (ONOP) political reform. Several MPs from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) Sena and Sharad Pawar led political formations are keen to enroll with BJP in Maharashtra but, Shiv Sena DCM Eknath Shinde and NCP DCM Ajit Pawar want to embrace them into respective party folds delaying the process. Giant killer of Delhi assembly elections Parvesh Verma (former Delhi CM Sahib Singh Verma’s son), a Jat leader, also credited with ensuring 12 assembly seat victories in Delhi, is frontrunner for CM’s post. “Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were the first to call, congratulate Verma immediately after his victory. Also, following the Haryana assembly win by BJP, influential Jat leadership was upset for being overlooked for CM’s post. Delhi may install Jat CM to compensate Haryana and build for Punjab and Bihar state assemblies,” a senior BJP leader says. Before the results the candidature of Dushyant Kumar Gautam, a senior BJP national general secretary was being considered as the Dalit CM face for Delhi but, Gautam lost a close fight for Karol Bagh seat to Vishesh Ravi of AAP by just under 8000 votes. Ravi clinched the seat twice before with winning margins exceeding 25000 each time.

The antics of Tamil Nadu Congress MP Manickam Tagore have not gone unnoticed in the wake of the Delhi poll results. Displaying what was clearly his delight at the AAP taking a tumble in the Delhi elections, the MP had posted on X just two words – ‘Delhi Results’ – along with a video of Arvind Kejriwal declaring that there be no tie-up in Delhi. While schadenfreude is understandable, what the post tries to make is a case that Kejriwal was to blame for the Congress not agreeing to adjustments and the grand old party going ahead to contest in all 70 seats and playing the spoiler. In fact, it was Congress, which often accused the AAP of being the BJP’s B team, ended up playing the role of ‘BJP B’ in the Delhi polls by clearly affecting the results in 14 seats, including that of Kejriwal, and turning the contest around for a BJP sweep. If the INDIA alliance had been in place and Congress contested only a few seats to keep up its Delhi identity and poll ambitions, the verdict may have been totally different with the AAP prevailing in a close contest. What happened in the end was that Congress scored a triple bagel – 000 – in three successive Delhi polls and Kejriwal lost power and Congress spokespersons were looking at the crumbs of the poll verdict and predicting the party’s comeback in 2030.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has described the BJP’s spectacular victory in Delhi assembly election as one more example of Ek hai toh Safe hai. Welcoming the verdict, Fadnavis recalled how Maharashtra voters had supported the NDA in the recent assembly election, scripting the first instance of Ek hai toh safe hai after BJP’s poor show in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Fadnavis explained how the BJP had lost the Dhule Lok Sabha seat since it had hardly received any votes in the Malegaon assembly segment in which Muslims are in majority. In all the five other segments, the BJP was leading but had to accept defeat due to the substantial anti-BJP voting in Malegaon alone. He termed it as the ‘Love Jihad’ effect and said a dozen Lok Sabha seats were lost by the NDA due to the same reason. Fadnavis said that for the assembly election, PM Narendra Modi toured Maharashtra and spread the message of Ek hai toh safe hai and the impact was magical. After Maharashtra, the message has shown its power in Delhi, he observed. Fadnavis had campaigned in the national capital assembly election, too. He had held several meetings in the Marathi-speaking population of Delhi and mobilised their support. The CM has ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging that a sudden spurt in the registration of new voters was noticed in Maharashtra just before assembly polls. He advised Rahul to introspect and learn to accept the popular mandate.  

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has hit out at AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and held him responsible for his party’s resounding defeat in Delhi assembly election while analysing the pro-BJP outcome in the national capital. Anna said about his one-time ardent disciple that Kejriwal was influenced by power and money so much that he was not ready to listen to alarm signals voiced time and again against his style of functioning. Anna’s recent video clip, released on the eve of the election, had told Kejriwal in no uncertain terms to mend his ways. The message was mostly ignored by the media though shortpost.in had uploaded a news item about it just before the polling. Reiterating his stand, Anna said after the results were declared, “Ideology and actions should be pure in public life. An individual should not carry any stigma so that the electors develop confidence in that leader. I repeatedly conveyed this message to AAP but it was ignored.” An exasperated Anna had asked the voters not to support AAP in this clip. In fact, there are many in Maharashtra who feel smug, ridiculing Anna and supporting Kejriwal. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Anna’s stand while addressing a BJP victory rally in party headquarters in Delhi. Modi also focused on AAP’s corruption by pointing out that all its top leaders had been in custody. Modi said Anna’s anti-graft crusade had catapulted Kejriwal to become the Delhi CM and expressed happiness that Anna’s stand had been endorsed by the people of Delhi. “Finally, Anna has been liberated from the AAP shroud,” the PM said to a huge applause.

The rout of the AAP in Delhi assembly polls was best summed up by PM Modi on X: “Development wins, good governance triumphs. It is our guarantee that we will leave no stone unturned in improving the overall quality of life for the people and ensuring that Delhi has a prime role to play in building a Viksit Bharat”. For the  BJP which rode to power in Delhi after a gap of 27 years with 48 seats win on the basis of Modi’s guarantees, home minister Amit Shah’s hard work and the unstinted support of RSS network, the results were more or less on expected lines .The Congress which half-heartedly went into the electoral battle at the eleventh hour drew a blank for the third time. INDIA bloc partners like J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah and Samajwadi Party were blaming the Congress for lack of unity in the Opposition alliance. A miffed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh insisted that “2025 Delhi Vidhan Sabha election results reflect nothing more than a referendum on Arvind Kejriwal and his 12 years of misrule.”  and asserted that it was not a vindication of the policies of PM Modi as the AAP had decisively won in Delhi in 2015 and 2020 at the height of the PM’s popularity”. Clearly the Congress which propped up Kejriwal when he was short of numbers in 2013 after defeating Sheila Dikshit to keep out BJP is getting defensive. It is quite possible some of AAP’s top losers like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Saurabh Bharadwaj may have been spared the defeat if there had been a AAP-Congress alliance. BJP’s Parvesh Verma polled 30,088 votes against Kejriwal’s 25,999 while Congress’s Sandeep Dikshit polled 4568. Sisodia’s defeat by 600 odd votes was more stark. He had shifted his constituency from Patparganj to Jangpura to avoid defeat.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s repeated clarifications that he is not unhappy in the cabinet headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis have failed to stop the surge of speculations about his next move. The reason for such discussions is Shinde’s frequent absence from important state meetings. As a result, Shinde continues to generate suspense for the ruling coalition. The discussions revived after Shinde skipped a “war room” meeting held by Fadnavis to discuss some important schemes and projects. These included the departments like health, housing and water supply and sanitation under Sena ministers. Though Shinde failed to turn up, another deputy CM Ajit Pawar was present for the marathon meeting. Shinde had also cancelled some other official engagements and a cabinet meeting last week. Fadnavis has time and again tried to explain that there was no complication for his dispensation and that Shinde was working wholeheartedly with him. Shinde also has reiterated that he is not unhappy. “When I was the chief minister, Fadnavis worked under me. Now that he is the CM, I am working under him. For both of us, the interests of Maharashtra are paramount,” Shinde told the media. Despite this, certain signals from the BJP side are interpreted to be making Shinde uncomfortable. His supporters recall how he consented to join the Fadnavis cabinet at the eleventh hour, keeping the Mahayuti on tenterhooks. BJP strategists feel that Shinde will yield at a proper time.

Armed with a landslide majority in Maharashtra, the BJP, it is learnt, is now strongly pushing its coalition partners up against the wall. Not only has it launched a strong attack against Ajit Pawar’ party deputy leader Dhananjay Munde but it is keeping Eknath Shinde on the edge too. While the knives have been sharpened against controversial minister Dhananjay Munde demanding his resignation for the alleged involvement of his aide in the murder of Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh. Munde and his party have been resisting and fighting it against all odds. While Ajit Pawar may have strongly backed Munde for now, he realises that the BJP may not stop at him and could launch fresh salvo against his other deputies. Hence, Pawar has directed his men to maintain a clean slate and even demanded that freshers be vetted before giving entry in his party. His contemporary, Eknath Shinde too is not having it easy with BJP ministers like Ganesh Naik eyeing his Thane stronghold and launching a worker engagement campaign clearly with an eye on the forthcoming local body polls. While Shinde chose to brush aside concerns, his workers have threatened to do a quid pro quo by launching similar exercises in BJP’s constituencies. Shinde did not attend the cabinet meeting last week, while Munde is believed to have left mid-way. The BJP strategy seems to be to keep the coalition partners constantly on the edge.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray has invited ire of the ruling saffron alliance in the state due to his controversial claim that the votes his party had received in the recent assembly election had ‘vanished’ somewhere. Addressing his first public rally after the election, Raj also attacked the NCP led by deputy CM Ajit Pawar as well as the BJP in general. This is one more example of his ambivalence since Raj has time and again either praised PM Narendra Modi or criticized him, never taking a firm stand. Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar has castigated his old friend Raj for the offensive remark, telling him that the BJP has never indulged into politics of adjustments. On the other hand, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant has congratulated Raj ‘for speaking out the truth.’ But the most pointed barb against Raj has been fired by NCP(Ajit) leader Anand Paranjpe. “MNS contested 138 assembly seats and secured only 1.55% votes without a single win,” he has taunted Raj. The NCP is chagrined since Raj has raised doubts about its winning 41 seats. This free for all will impact the local body elections, likely to be held later this year. Raj has been advised to study the situation seriously and introspect about the defeat of his own son in the Dadar-Mahim constituency in which his family resides.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s newly released book, Banglar Nirbachon O Amra (Bengal’s Elections and Us) has squarely blamed the Congress party for the BJP’s return to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. With the book’s release at the 48th Kolkata International Book Fair, it has become clearer that Didi has decided that her party TMC will go alone in the 2026 West Bengal State Election. In the book, Didi argues that the Opposition alliance, INDIA Bloc, failed due to the grand old party’s rigidity and weak leadership. She further claims that the Congress won its seats in 2024 only because of support from other INDIA Bloc allies. She accuses the Congress-Left alliance in West Bengal of secretly helping the BJP by creating a larger anti-TMC front, which ultimately benefited the saffron party in the state. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections saw the BJP losing ground in West Bengal. The party, which had secured 18 seats in the state in 2019, saw its tally reduced to 12 in 2024. On the other hand, TMC improved its performance, winning 29 out of 42 seats. The Congress managed to win only one seat, while the Left failed to open its account. Incidentally, Mamata has stuck to her policy of supporting the strongest party against BJP, by sending its MP, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Political analysts see this as Mamata’s indirect message to Congress. TMC’s participation in AAP’s campaign indicates its commitment to the INDIA Bloc but also highlights the friction between the Opposition allies, especially after Didi’s criticism of Congress dominance within the coalition.

Is Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan walking into a trap over his government’s sanction of a controversial brewery unit in Palakkad? Joining hands with the BJP and the Congress, CPI has published an article in its mouthpiece Janayugom, suggesting that promotion of businesses that exploit agriculture and food security was against the interest of the state. The opinion piece, written by senior CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri, said the government’s approval for the brewery unit raised the question of whether paddy or alcohol should be made from the land of Palakkad. “From where did they get the water needed for the brewery unit? Once the (private) company starts exploiting the water resources, there won’t be enough water for agriculture,” he wrote. The Chittoor region of Palakkad district, where Madhya Pradesh-based alcohol manufacturer Oasis Group is set to establish the unit, has one of the lowest groundwater levels in Kerala, the CPI leader said. The state government approved the setting up the Rs 600-crore grain-based distillation and brewery unit on January 15. The Congress, which leads the UDF, however, alleged that the firm, embroiled in Delhi’s liquor policy controversy, got the permission without a proper tendering process. Like CPI’s Mokeri, it said that the setting up of the unit would worsen the water crisis in the agrarian region. Earlier this month, the UDF-ruled Elappully panchayat, where the unit is proposed to be set up, also requested the government to reconsider its decision given the water concerns. The Kerala government has been reiterating that the unit will not affect the availability of water in the area as its primary source would be harvested rainwater. With the state headed for polls in 2026, it is quite likely that the brewery scam could come to haunt Vijayan just as the excise scam has cast a shadow on Kejriwal in Delhi polls.

Looks like AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal is caught in a deep mess of his own making by claiming that the BJP government in Haryana had “poisoned” Yamuna waters. Clearly, on a backfoot and out of desperation he sought to paint a scary scenario to Delhi voters. Now it seems these words will come to haunt him post February 5. The Haryana government has filed a case against him for creating a “false alarm” among the people. Meanwhile, Haryana chief minister Nayab Saini to reassure people took a sip of Yamuna to indicate it was safe to drink. Though Kejriwal dismissed Saini’s action as a stunt, what he does not realise is that the Haryana case could prove to be a ticking time-bomb for him. It may explode once elections are over in Delhi. Haryana has filed in the CJM’s court in Sonipat under sections of Disaster Management. The court has summoned Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17. In an explosive claim, Kejriwal had asserted that Haryana was mixing “poison” in the Yamuna water it supplies to Delhi. The reference was to the high levels of ammonia — over 700 times the permissible limit. He said it was because of the vigilance of Delhi Jal Board engineers that this water was stopped. Endorsing Kejriwal’s charge, Delhi CM Atishi even wrote to the Election Commission and sought action against the BJP for “water terrorism”. The Delhi Jal Board, which Kejriwal said stopped the alleged “poisonous” water coming to the national capital, however rubbished the AAP leader’s claim. “These statements are factually incorrect, without any basis and misleading,” Delhi Jal Board Chief Executive Officer Shilpa Shinde said in a letter to the Chief Secretary. Meanwhile, the EC has asked Kejriwal to submit proof of poisoning of Yamuna waters.

In Odisha, the BJP never seems to lose an opportunity to take a pot-shot or criticise the former chief minister Naveen Patnaik style of governance. Patnaik’s party, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) constantly faces BJP’s onslaught ever since it came to power. The latest accusation relates to a 16-year old case — smuggling of iron ore as a result of which the ship Black Rose sank. Reportedly, the ship was illegally carrying 23,847 MT of iron ore and sank while unloading at Paradip port, it tilted and sank. Since it was an illegal ferrying of iron ore the documents too were fake. That was September 9, 2009. This old issue was raked up after Odisha’s BJP MLA Padmalochan Panda had briefed the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Now the Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is expected to initiate a formal inquiry into the whole incident vis a vis expose corruption in the then BJD-run government. Even though BJP is now pushing for an in-depth inquiry but what puts BJP in odd position is that it’s present MP Bhatruhari Mahtab who was earlier ex BJD MP had gone on record stating that Black Rose ship was carrying iron ore from Haldia and was re-loading at Paradeep port when the ship tilted and sank without attributing any kind of illegalities. Though everybody knows nothing concrete is going to emerge from this inquiry, it seems BJP’s strategy is to keep embarrassing and pushing the Opposition BJD party in the hope its image will take a knock.

In an interesting political twist, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister TRB Raaja who was pitching for Tamil Nadu to the investors at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was found heaping praise on Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. He described Fadnavis as an amazing leader and expressed his deep respect for him. Son of DMK Lok Sabha leader TR Baalu, it was refreshing to hear the DMK Minister say that while “I am going to fight for an investment to Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra is trying to pull it for Maharashtra, I don’t mind as long as it comes and stays in India. We don’t want to lose out to Vietnam, Indonesia or Malaysia. That is the whole story when we are aggressive”. While sharing stage with Fadnavis, Raaja praised India’s growth story and described TN and Maharashtra as double engines. He also described Fadnavis as a people’s leader.”I have a huge respect for him”, said Raaja, perhaps referring to the huge mandate he recently received. He also acknowledged that Mumbai was beating TN in terms of numbers anyway. In a bid to attract investment six states — UP, Maharashtra, Telangana TN, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala fiercely competed for attention at the WEF (Jan 20-24). While Maharashtra aimed to sign MoUs worth $7 trillion, TN which had launched a global campaign under the slogan “Bullish on TN” for four days had scheduled meetings with 50 potential leaders. While it may be good optics for a DMK leader which is part of the INDIA bloc to bond with BJP CM but it does open the possibility for DMK to explore its political options beyond INDIA bloc.

Delhi has BJP worried over outcomes considering 12 of 70 MLA constituencies are dominated by the minority community enjoying majority vote count. Rahul Gandhi, keen on BJP losing even at own party’s cost, predictably commenced campaigning from Muslim dominated Seelampur assembly constituency that counts over 50% voters from the minority community. Gandhi targeted PM Modi as usual, consciously launched broadside against Arvind Kejriwal under pressure from Congress local leaders Ajay Maken, former Delhi CM, Sheila Dikshit’s son Sandeep. For once Congress high command heeded local leaders’ advice to fight alone rather than according AAP walkover on pain of losing out erstwhile political bastion, even suffer further in Punjab like it did for general elections and was trounced. In Delhi 3:4 ratio of coalition drew a blank with BJP clinching all seven Lok Sabha victories. Gandhi’s sudden detour to meet RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar Saturday surprised some but was to smoothen political relationship for next-up, Bihar state assemblies at instance of Sonia Gandhi notwithstanding Tejashwi’s hard stance against Congress. Delhi Lieutenant Governor granted prosecution permission against AAP leaders putting Kejriwal in a bind even as conditional bail pre-empts his CM post assumption if AAP wins. NCP leader and Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar preferred fielding 30 candidates for Delhi polls, including 13 Muslim aspirants, than settling within NDA coalition that accorded solitary seats to Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan.  Pawar’s gambit is similar to 30 assembly candidates he fielded in J&K, 24 in Jharkhand although the impact of his national foray is yet to register a winning mark.

The BJP was in a dilemma regarding the Erode East Assembly bypoll in Tamil Nadu for a seat that became vacant with the death of Congress leader EVKS Elangovan. Having promised a seat to GK Vasan’s TMC, the party did not wish to go back on its word and take over the seat. At the same time, it was fearful of Vasan’s party being wiped out in the poll and finishing far behind Seeman’s NTK. A very poor performance by an ally would not have suited the national party either, which is why it decided not to contest and announcing it was following the AIADMK in boycotting the poll because the election would be fixed by the ruling DMK in bringing hordes of voters into nearby meeting places and then transporting them to the booths. AIADMK had decided to withdraw from the poll to give BJP the chance of putting up what could be a common candidate representing the opposition to the DMK in the state. The BJP boycott means the contest would be a walkover for the DMK that will face the only recognised party in the LTTE leader Prabhakaran-loving Tamil nationalist party NTK that has not won a single election so far. In any case, the seat will only be for a little more than a year as the Assembly elections to all 234 seats are to be held in the summer of 2026.

A crucial meeting between RSS functionaries and BJP members of the Maharashtra cabinet in Mumbai will go a long way in charting the future path to be adopted by the state government led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. The two-day conference was attended by Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrakant Bawankule, who is also the revenue minister. The ministers were told in no uncertain terms that their priority will be to serve the public and to maintain a clean image. Moreover, special arrangements should be in place to cater to the work connected with various individuals and organizations under the Sangh Parivar umbrella. The NDA’s unprecedented success in the state assembly election held recently is mainly attributed to the ground work done by RSS activists all over Maharashtra, especially to mobilise pro-Hindutva vote. Although the RSS has not taken any credit for this spectacular feat publicly, those working for the BJP candidly acknowledge the saffron organisation’s debt. A tentative agenda for the way ahead has been prepared for the ministers and discussed with them by top RSS representatives. Subsequently, it will be finalized as its importance will impact the local body elections, likely to be held in the near future. Like the assembly election, the BJP will dominate the candidate lists for the local bodies, too, it is expected. Accordingly, the two partners, the Shiv Sena led by deputy CM Eknath Shinde and the NCP under deputy Ajit Pawar, will have to be accommodated in the Mahayuti formula for the ensuring electoral bout, it is suggested.

In the absence of a leader of opposition in Maharashtra, the ruling Mahayuti’s dominant party, the BJP seems to have taken up the mantle of the Opposition’s role upon itself. Leading the attack against the lawlessness in Beed and raking up issues of corruption and extortion is none other than BJP’s own legislator, Suresh Dhas. Beed has been on the boil for weeks after a campaign against Dhananjay Munde and his aide Walmik Karad met up with large-scale violent reaction. Sanjay Raut (Uddhav Sena) has alluded that the entire Beed saga is a Fadnavis operation to cleanse the local political scene there. Local police officers have been transferred, gun licenses cancelled, corruption cases dug out as part of this operation. However, the central party leadership of the BJP particularly Amit Shah continues to be in the loop and maintains a hawk’s eye about the ongoing situation in the state. That the entire political situation playing out in Beed also has the Centre’s blessing is evident from the fact that leaders like Pankaja Munde and even Ajit Pawar, who have strong stakes in the local politics of Beed, have met and discussed the situation directly with Shah himself. The main accused Walmik Karad was slapped with the strong MCOCA Act, a day before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Mumbai and briefed the state’s legislators. The man at the centre of the current political storm, NCP’s Dhananjay Munde was kept out of this crucial meeting with the PM. Though Munde has managed to retain his ministerial berth without resigning despite the controversy, he has been considerably weakened politically with his own leader Ajit Pawar disbanding his party’s entire team of office-bearers in Beed.

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi kicked off a political storm by claiming that the Opposition was fighting not just against the BJP and the RSS but the Indian state itself. “Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself”. The Congress MP’s claims to fight against the Indian State in the backdrop of rout in Haryana and Maharashtra unleashed a war of words with the BJP. Union Minister and BJP chief JP Nadda alleged that Rahul Gandhi and his ecosystem have ‘close links with Urban Naxals and the Deep State’ who want to defame, demean and discredit India. FM Nirmala Sitharaman wondered how the LoP, who was sworn in by taking oath on the Constitution, was now speaking against the Indian State itself. She wanted to know why Congress men and Rahul Gandhi were carrying a copy of the Constitution in their hand! Main thrust of Rahul’s attack on the RSS made at the launch of the new AICC office was reserved for RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who had described Ram Mandir’s “pran prathishtha” as true Independence of India. Bhagwat said that the date of Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya should be celebrated as “Pratishtha Dwadashi”.  Rahul called Bhagwat’s comments as an act of treason as it disregarded India’s freedom struggle. None of the Opposition parties have visited Ram Mandir out of fear of losing Muslim votes.

PM Modi seems to have opted for a new mode of public outreach in the New Year. Instead of going for traditional TV interviews; he recorded his first podcast, which was released on January 10. The highlight of the podcast hosted by Bengaluru-based Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath was that it brought out vulnerabilities of Modi first hand. For the first time, Modi acknowledged that his public office — whether as CM or PM — have insulated him from informal interactions; he acknowledged that he has no close friend who would interact with him informally. He cited the experience of hosting his school friends when he became CM — all of them treated him in awe.  Modi also used the podcast to correct a fallacy made in the 2024 campaign — he tried to clarify his claim that he had been chosen by God. Modi asserted that he can make mistakes too. “I am human, not a God.” An interesting aspect of the podcast was Modi’s statesman-like appeal to youth to join politics, urging them to come with a mission, not ambition. He made it clear his call to youth to join politics should not be seen as an appeal to join the BJP alone but to strengthen and energise all political parties. When asked if he had any specific advice to youth, Modi felt that Gen X was equipped to find its own answers. While Modi acknowledges that “it is his first podcast” he asks Nikhil about how many such podcasts he has hosted before. When the Zerodha founder says 25 podcasts have been mainly with entrepreneurs, one finds PM Modi even wondering how “it’ll go with your audience.” With Modi going for a podcast, more political players are likely to hit this mode.

The Opposition in Tamil Nadu may have agreed to try the combined candidate formula with which the INDIA bloc had caused a dent in BJP’s hold in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Assembly bypoll for the Erode East seat held by Congress leader EVKS Elangovan until his demise has provided the chance to try this experiment in taking on the might of the DMK in the state. The AIADMK has agreed not to contest the seat and Vijay’s TVK is to make its debut only in the 2026 Assembly elections. That creates room for BJP to take on the Congress in a direct contest to see how the vote percentages go. The AIADMK may have had the BJP as a part of its Tamil Nadu alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls but since then the parties fought the Assembly elections on their own and against each other as well as DMK and NTK. The latest decision to make way for BJP might also open the gates for a possible alliance again when the bigger polls come in 2026. Right now, the Opposition is keen on seeing whether they can flex their combined muscle against the DMK which will, however, unleash its own strategy, including dipping into its coffers, to ensure ally Congress wins to keep the seat.

Operation 272 MPs was launched with the flight of Opposition MPs scheduled for a BJP landing with ETA in April 2025. Sources say the earlier target 260 BJP MPs (reported by Short Post) from current strength of 241 in the Lok Sabha was rescheduled to higher benchmark following hectic parleys with aspiring Opposition MPs, particularly in Maharashtra, keenly looking for greener pastures. This has seriously dented merger plans of Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar with nephew, Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Uncle Pawar deployed womenfolk in the family to convince Ajit Pawar for a merger while making an overture to PM Modi using his reconciliatory gambit. BJP is rather keen over 2/3 of nine UBT Sena MPs, eight from SP camp jumping ship to join its party without attracting anti-defection laws besides regional party MPs from other states to reach the majority magic figure on its own. Ajit Pawar, who succumbed to emotional blackmail by the womenfolk in December 2019 and broke alliance with BJP bringing down the 76-hour long government back then, is unlikely to do a repeat. Ajit Pawar has also nixed senior party MLA Chhagan Bhujbal’s ministerial aspirations over his extra-party OBC activities. Bhujbal’s gambit to use the good offices of CM Devendra Fadnavis also came to naught with the Maha Chanakya CM politely asking him to sort out his problems with Ajit Pawar himself. The so-called NaNi (Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar) factor was always a non-starter sans JD(S) Union Ministers quitting their posts in an election year leaving RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav red-faced and worried about own political future in Bihar just like Sharad Pawar in Maharashtra.  

Once a political powerhouse, CPI(M) is grappling with organizational crisis in Kolkata, as highlighted in the report presented at its district conference. The party now faces a stark disparity in its presence across South and North Kolkata, with the party nearly vanishing in several areas, particularly the slums. While select areas show some signs of organizational activity through fund collection, magazine sales, and event turnouts, the situation in the northern parts of the city is dire. The report describes South and North Kolkata as “two extremes” in terms of party strength. Neighborhoods with significant minority populations, such as Rajabazar, Kidderpore, and the port areas, have witnessed a sharp decline in CPM’s influence. In South Kolkata’s refugee colonies, the growing presence of the BJP further erodes the party’s traditional support base. However, the most concerning trend for the party’s district leadership is its diminished presence in slums across areas like Beleghata, Maniktala, Chetla, Ballygunge, and Park Circus. On the contrary, Trinamool Congress leaders and MLAs, such as Paresh Pal in Beleghata and Firhad Hakim in Chetla, have secured critical voter base in the slums. Efforts to revive the party’s presence through initiatives like the Slum Federation have yielded little success. A reluctance among the younger generation to engage in grassroots-level work has compounded the crisis. The party also faces significant challenges in attracting women and individuals under the age of 31. The report highlights systemic failures in promoting women within the organization contrasting sharply with the ruling Trinamool’s success. The findings underscore the deep-rooted issues facing the CPI (M) in Kolkata, from internal structural challenges to the changing political landscape dominated by the TMC and BJP.

It is being said if the BJP is being seen as having an edge in the Delhi Assembly elections and has consolidated Sikh votes in the state in its favour, it is all because of the manner in which the Modi government had handled the aftermath of demise of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. Particularly, the swift manner in which PM Modi had promptly visited 3 Moti Lal Nehru Marg residence to commiserate with Dr Singh’s family. Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda also visited the family. In contrast, what came as a shock to  Congress CMs — Telangana , Himachal and Karnataka — who had rushed to Delhi were specifically instructed not to visit Dr Singh’s family or interact with them. It was as if the Gandhis did not want the Singh family to develop any contact with the CMs. It is also being speculated that the Gandhis did not want the Centre or Singh’s family to take help of the CMs in building Dr Singh’s memorial. “We want Sikh votes in Dr Singh’s name. But instead of mobilising our support and showing it, we were sitting criticising PM Modi. It has not gone down well with Sikhs-not just in Delhi but all over India. Congress has cut a sorry picture for raking up an outright bogus issue like why only DD was allowed to cover the funeral. This is when PM Modi is being seen as doing so much for our leader. Our CMs should have been involved,” said a Cong leader. Party sources said Telangana CM Revanth Reddy was particularly disappointed with the shabby manner the Congress high command was treating him. Apparently all decisions of the state government are being whetted by KC Venugopal, who as Rahul Gandhi’s close aide and AICC Gen Secy (organisation) has made Reddy’s life quite miserable. Meanwhile, a prayer meeting is being held for Dr Singh at Gurudwara Rakabganj on Dec 3.

“From tomorrow onwards until the DMK is removed from power, I will not wear any footwear”…the unique protest by Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai of flogging himself six times on December 27 and vowing not to wear footwear until the ruling DMK is removed from power is being largely viewed  in BJP circles more as a pressure tactic to continue him as state BJP chief rather than pose any threat to Stalin government or seriously take up the issue of sexual assault of a student inside a campus in Anna University, Chennai. Already the Madras HC is seized of the matter. Standing shirtless in a green veshti outside his Coimbatore residence, Annamalai whipped himself before a crowd of BJP supporters. He claimed that it was the first of his acts of “atonement” for the DMK government’s inefficiency in the Anna University sexual assault case, in which a man identified as Gnanasekaran is accused of sexually assaulting a student and attacking her male friend on December 23. Gnanasekaran was arrested the next day and soon, allegations of his links to the DMK emerged as several pictures of him with party functionaries were posted on social media.  Incidentally Annamalai’s self-flagellation drama hasn’t gone down well with BJP central leadership particularly Home Minister Amit Shah who feels there should be a new face to lead TN. Annamalai’s tough stand against AIADMK and fellow Gounder Edappadi K Palaniswami have not helped the BJP. Lok Sabha elections in the state were disastrous when the party went solo. BJP sources feel if the party must grow in TN it must have an alliance with AIADMK and feel Annamalai will have to be eased out before 2026 assembly polls.  

Senior BJP leader Ravindra Chavan’s anointment as the next possible Maharashtra BJP president has sent warning signals for the supporters of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, once again indicating internecine power play within the ruling Mahayuti alliance. Chavan’s name has been announced as the state in-charge by outgoing president Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The reshuffle was expected ever since Chavan was not included in the cabinet while Bawankule was asked to contest the assembly election which he has won. Chavan was a minister in the previous Shinde government, holding the public works department, considered a prominent position in the state hierarchy. The tussle between Shinde and Chavan is based in Thane district from which both have been getting elected time and again. In the recent assembly election, the BJP bagged nine seats while Shinde’s Shiv Sena won six. Chavan’s contribution in this handsome victory was lauded by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis by visiting Thane for a party function. This gesture has made Shinde’s supporters jittery since local body elections are expected to be held in the near future. Thane has always remained a matter of tension between the Sena and the BJP, from the days of Balasaheb Thackeray. So far, Shinde has prevailed but the assembly results have changed the picture. Chavan was elected to the assembly for the first time in 2009. Under his tutelage, the BJP has been performing well in the district. A formal announcement about Chavan’s appointment as state BJP chief is expected soon.

The Maharashtra state assembly elections gained BJP 132 elected MLAs out of 288 in the legislature and yet, some of its candidates lost out after contesting on tickets from alliance partners Shiv Sena and NCP. What does the future portend for them and will they rejoin BJP? BJP sources reveal the leaders so loaned out never resigned their parent party membership at all. Assembly elections witnessed chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Maha Chanakya, micro-managing not just candidatures for 148 seats his party contested but also fielding nine BJP leaders to contest from deputy CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and five from deputy CM Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Over 19 BJP leaders were fielded, some even as independent candidates, to upset the apple cart of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Unfortunately, BJP leaders like Santosh Shetty contesting from Bhiwandi, Ajit Pingle from Dharashiv, Shaina NC from Mumbadevi lost the electoral battle as Shiv Sena candidates and must contemplate their political future seriously. They were loaned out to alliance partners for the express purpose of impacting election results in favour of the Mahayuti alliance. It is clear Shaina NC performed creditably from south Mumbai’s Mumbadevi assembly constituency securing over 40,000 voter ayes in her favour despite over 55% of voters comprising minority community members who single-mindedly voted Congress’ Amin Patel (since 2009). Shaina and other BJP leaders who contested from different alliance parties continue to be BJP members, however, the problem of plenty that the BJP now enjoys will lead to a lot of jostling for space within the party.

For the Congress that was faulting the government on not earmarking space for a memorial for PM Dr Manmohan Singh who had passed away on December 26, nothing could have come more as an embarrassment than LoP in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi slipping  out of the country for New Year even as  the nation mourns  Dr Singh’s demise. “While the country is mourning ex-PM Dr Manmohan Singh’s demise (for a week until Jan 1), Rahul Gandhi has flown to Vietnam to ring in the New Year. Rahul Gandhi politicised and exploited Dr Singh’s death for his expedient politics but his contempt for him is unmissable. The Gandhis and the Congress hate the Sikhs. Never forget that Indira Gandhi desecrated the Darbar Sahib,” posted BJP’s Amit Malviya. However, before jetting off on his holiday, Rahul was caught giving homilies about how “the first PM of the Sikh community” had been totally insulted by the present government by performing his last rites at the Nigambodh Ghat. The BJP attacked the Gandhis for not being with the family to collect the ashes. As for Gandhis not being present to collect the ashes, the excuse was they wanted Singh’s family to have some privacy. A defensive Congress described Rahul’s visit to Vietnam as his private visit and a party MP Manickam Tagore even felt the visit “should not bother BJP”. Meanwhile the government has already conveyed to Dr Singh’s family about building a memorial. It could be either near Kisan Ghat, the memorial of former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh, and Rashtriya Smriti Sthal — a designated spot for the last rites of presidents, vice-presidents and PMs could be allocated for Singh’s memorial. A trust will have to be set up to supervise construction of the memorial.

Maharashtra’s deputy CM Eknath Shinde may be officially sulking but he sure knows how to get his way around with the BJP’s top bosses. After having bagged nine plum cabinet berths and two ministers of state apart from key portfolios like Urban Development, housing and public works department for himself, he has now clearly emerged as the No 2 in the Maharashtra government next only to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. It is worth noting that while senior ministers like Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Girish Mahajan are left dangling with half split portfolios with them, Shinde has managed to bag important ministries like industries, public health, education etc for his supporters. Shinde also continues to retain his value for the BJP. This was evident recently when he met up with the top trio of the BJP during his Delhi stopover en route to Kashmir for a family holiday. Prime minister Narendra Modi is believed to have granted him an audience for over an hour where the duo are believed to have discussed the significant Mumbai municipal corporation polls. The one-to-one meet with PM Modi clearly highlights that Shinde continues to be a significant partner for the BJP and is expected to play a key role in cutting down the Marathi electorate stronghold of Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai. He is also expected to play a key role in the significant Dharavi Redevelopment Project, thanks to his holding the dual portfolios of housing and urban development, that could come in handy for industrialist Gautam Adani, known for his proximity to Modi.

BJP’s top brass ignored RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat’s latest broadside seeking to curtail the rising momentum to reclaim, reinstall old temple sites to their pristine glory. A politically savvy RSS man says, “There is little likelihood of response or retort from either PM Modi or Shah to Bhagwat’s vocalisation for limiting the number of devastated temples in India needing reinstallation.” Legal remedies are increasingly the resort of Hindus thanks to the mountain of evidence unearthed by the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI). Modi-Shah will plough ahead with their rejuvenation plans for Hindutva ignoring Bhagwat even as their political favourites: UP CM Yogi Adityanath, his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma espouse political advocacy stridently furthering Hindutva’s agenda. Notwithstanding PM Modi’s radio silence over Bhagwat’s repeated outbursts, last time prescribing arrogance shedding over general election results that restricted BJP to 240 MPs, social media platforms unleashed criticism waves targeting the RSS Chief over his soft advocacy of Hindutva. “Typical of RSS claiming credit for political wins registered by BJP after Haryana and Maharashtra elections while feigning sleep over their own track record in states like Jharkhand over RSS’ abject failure at outreach in tribal belts through Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram,” the RSS man says. NASA has confirmed the structural engineering marvel of the Ram Setu while Dwarka city is truly resting underwater and yet, India dilly-dallies over Moghul-British era false narratives including scheduled castes and tribes introduced by the latter. Latest infringement at Sambhal was exposed by the ASI to be the remains of a 200-year-old temple built over a mosque and yet, Bhagwat preaches secular values today. Advocacy of Moghul-British invaders next?

Six months after the BJP came into power in Odisha, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi has every reason to be happy. It is learnt that PM Modi has appreciated his citizen centric outreach programmes. This is why PM Modi made it known to Odisha BJP leaders, during his last visit that Majhi is doing good work, in the process he subtly sent a message to CM aspirants that Majhi will be in the CM’s chair for the next five years. Now, there are strong talks that to strengthen Majhi’s hands a former bureaucrat with a strong administration background may be drafted into the Odisha ministry. The name of ex-CAG Chief Girish Chandra Murmu and now external auditor of WHO is doing the rounds. He was one of the several names shortlisted before PM Modi cast his vote in favour of Majhi. Sources say Murmu, who hails from Mayurbhanj in Odisha seems to have ticked all the boxes. He is a strong administrator, down to earth personality. Two, a tribal leader, three, not arrogant and fits into Odia Asmita culture. Being industrious and having both Modi’s and Shah’s confidence since he was earlier Modi’s Principal Secretary in Gujarat and was appointed as Lieutenant Governor of J&K when Article 370 was abrogated. Murmu certainly seems to have the heft and gravitas.

Even as the dust is settling over the internecine acrimony about the allocation of portfolios in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, a new wave of one-upmanship has erupted about the appointment of guardian ministers. As there are more than two or three claimants to grab the powerful position, the competition is intense. Moreover, as there are 36 districts in Maharashtra while the number of ministers is 41, it is obvious that some of them will be ejected out of the race. Another major issue of contention is the guardianship of Pune and Thane districts, which are politically very important for every party. In Pune, deputy CM Ajit Pawar was the guardian minister under the government of Eknath Shinde till recently. Now, the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde) feel it is their turn to occupy the position. Similarly, in Thane, deputy CM Shinde wishes to become the district guardian minister. However, the BJP is keen to obtain the turn this time. Senior BJP minister Ganesh Naik and Shinde have been at loggerheads for long and the tussle between the two seems unavoidable. In neighbouring Raigad district, NCP(Ajit) boss Sunil Tatkare’s daughter Aditi is trying to retain the responsibility though Shinde’s supporter Bharat Gogawale is determined to wrest it from her. Sambhaji Nagar, another sensitive district, is claimed by Shinde’s soldier Sanjay Shirsat while BJP’s powerful minister Atul Save, too, is considered a strong claimant. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is now busy untangling the rider.  

Sunday’s swearing in of 33 (16:9:8 ratio for BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP respectively) mostly young cabinet ministers in CM Devendra Fadnavis’ 3.0 government was not followed up by expected portfolio allocations even late Thursday (Dec 19). The unrelenting clamour for one specific portfolio by a senior BJP minister-in-waiting (in apparent conflict of interest), aspiration to improve upon earlier performance in power sector by another are in the open awaiting the Maha Chanakya to coolly decide upon. Scribes housed at the state government ‘Suyog’ facility within the Family court premises near Vidhan Bhavan enjoy the Nagpur chill over familial evenings at ‘Sneh Bojans’ hosted by these as-yet ‘Anamika’ ministers. DCM Eknath Shinde’s camp brews hostility from left out veteran MLAs and cherry-picking ministers-in-waiting who threaten boiling point anytime soon. This is unlike the chill that has set upon the near deserted NCP office at Vidhan Bhavan sans activity, notwithstanding the bustling beehive of activity right outside and within the state legislature that is hosting its winter session. It is probably the first time in Maharashtra’s political history for such an ongoing legislature session without specifically assigned ministers manning questions on the floor of the state assembly and council while responding to public interest issues of state. For now, all portfolios rest with CM Fadnavis. NCP veteran Chhagan Bhujbal, Sena’s Tanaji Sawant complain vociferously from out in the cold even as some BJP MLAs rue their bad luck despite winning big in Mumbai city where the richest civic body will face the hustings very soon.