New Delhi already under the grip of poll fever – Congress has lost the game, and BJP appears poised for a hat-trick
Come October, massive preparations are in store for the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha,
What exactly happening is that election fever has gripped not only the ruling BJP but also smaller parties in Uttar Pradesh. But the actual loser is the Grand Old Party of India, the Indian National Congress. Nitish Kumar is active, and Kejriwal has pulled all his energies concentrating on Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Mamata Banerjee is planning a totally different strategy.
Looking at the hectic flurry of activities one could get a feeling that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are not going to be that easy, but certainly, BJP has a clear edge. They have capitalized on the poll strategies, with the social media team and exploited the tremendous amount of digital revolution in India like 5G animation graphics, etc. Let us watch these fast political developments taking place in New Delhi
Three major developments are simultaneously happening
First, on Sept 28, Narendra Modi will reveal his plan for the 2024 Lok Sabha Polls when he meets his 77 ministers.
Second, the BJP has convened a meeting with all State Presidents on Oct 4th.
Third, a deterioration in the enthusiasm of Congress where the GOP is all set to lose a number of privileges in both houses of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Let us look at each one in some detail…
2024 Lok Sabha poll fever has gripped the top leadership of BJP and also PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 28, will meet his 30 cabinet ministers, 47 ministers of state, that is the council of ministers, and all 82 secretaries to the Government of India for a threadbare discussion on the issues of economy and commerce. This exercise is intended to be the first of its kind to discuss the preparedness for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. A similar exercise has also been taken by the BJP president J P Nadda to meet BJP state presidents to assess the preparedness for 2024. With just 20 months left for the next general election, the meeting is also intended to identify priority areas and political tasks, said the official.
The meeting, to be held on September 28, is likely to see a stock-taking of the outcomes in the two sectors and also set new targets and deadlines for giving a further push to growth and new investments, while bracing for the global slowdown.
PMO officials feel that this meeting is of “utmost importance” as it takes place in the backdrop of the World Bank’s latest report which indicates that the world could face a recession next year amid simultaneous tightening of monetary policy by central banks. “Also, for a long time, economy and commerce have not been discussed at such meetings,”
How are the regional parties pulling up their socks for 2024?
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, in a tie-up with Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, can trounce the formidable BJP in the adjoining Uttar Pradesh.
JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan made the announcement here while also claiming that the party’s workers in UP want Kumar, the de facto leader, to contest the next Lok Sabha polls in the adjoining state. “The most enthusiastic demand for our CM as Lok Sabha poll candidate has come from Phulpur. Similar demands have been made by workers in Ambedkar Nagar and Mirzapur. Elections are more than a year away, though, and we are therefore not thinking in terms of accepting or rejecting such demands,” said the JD(U) chief.
TRS KCR doing a Naidu now
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is acting like what Chandrababu Naidu did, just after and before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, where Naidu hopped from various state capitals to form an alliance against Narendra Modi. Now KCR is also envisaging a similar climate, and will soon launch a national party.”There has been a consensus on the alternative national agenda after prolonged discussions with intellectuals, economists, and experts from various fields like we did before the start of the Telangana movement,” an official release from Rao’s office said.
INC is in a pathetic state as it will not retain the Home Affairs standing committee.
Things look bleak for the Grand Old Party to cope with TMC and DMK. Congress may struggle to retain the chairmanship of the House panel at home. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) are expected to be the major beneficiaries in the reshuffle of Parliament Standing Committees.
The Congress party may struggle to retain the chairmanship of the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, considered one of the key House panels, in the upcoming reshuffle. The gainers will be DMK and TMC, the third and fourth major political parties in Parliament.
The principal opposition party has already lost the chairmanship of the House panels on external affairs and finance after the two committees were revamped soon after the 2019 general elections.
Interestingly, the Trinamool Congress, which is the second largest opposition party in Parliament, may also lose the chairmanship of the House committee on food and consumer affairs.
Senior Congress leaders said they have discussed with the authorities and a few political parties, pointing out that as the largest opposition party they should be given the chairmanship of the panel.
Congress has also argued that the Standing Committee on Home Affairs has always been led by an opposition member.
At present, Congress heads three parliamentary panels. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi heads the committee on home affairs; Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor chairs the panel on Information Technology; and Rajya Sabha member Jairam Ramesh is in charge of the parliamentary committee on environment, science, and technology.
There are 24 parliamentary standing committees, of which 16 are headed by Lok Sabha lawmakers and eight are with the Rajya Sabha.
Reshuffle of a parliamentary panel takes place every year
According to senior opposition leaders, TMC may also struggle to get the chairmanship of any significant House panel in the reshuffle this month. Ever since the standing committees were reconstituted in 2019, the Trinamool Congress has been allotted just one chairman’s post. Party veteran Sudip Bandopadhyay heads the panel on food and consumer affairs.
“A few days ago, a Union Minister from the BJP called me to allege that the Trinamool Congress has not given BJP any chairmanship in West Bengal Assembly panels,” said Sudip Bandopadhyay “If they want to take away the food committee from us, we are not bothered.” These dramatic moments will culminate in a big drama when the new Parliament Building will be opened on November 26.
Fasten your seat belts – it is going to be a thrilling ride.
Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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