A weakened NDA and a united opposition may upset the BJP applecart in 2019
After the winter chill, it’s the time for the spring churn. And, the first shoots of change in the political landscape have begun to show. In fact, the first two weeks of March have been so eventful that they may have set the tone for the rest of the year.
From an impressive win in Tripura to a humiliating loss in the Lok Sabha bypolls in Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria, the pendulum appears to have swung fast for the BJP. At the heart of this change are the alliances. In Tripura, it was the BJP’s alliance with the tribal party, Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, which made the difference when the votes were counted. In Gorakhpur and Phulpur, an ‘unlikely’ alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan SamajParty defeated the BJP. In the Araria constituency in Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal retained the seat defeating the BJP, signalling that Lalu Prasad’s Muslim-Yadav vote bank is intact.
The BJP had held the Gorakhpur seat since 1989, first with Mahant Avaidyanath and then his disciple Yogi Adityanath. The seat was vacated by Adityanath when he became chief minister a year ago. Avaidyanath’s guru Digvijaynath also held the seat from 1967 to 1971. The BJP won the Phulpur constituency, which was first represented by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952, for the first time in 2014. Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the seat to become deputy chief minister. The results have shown that a combined dalit-Yadav-Muslim vote bank can wreck the BJP’s arithmetic, and have set ground for a firmer handshake between Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav.
The BJP has not won a single Lok Sabha bypoll in a year, even though it has been winning state after state. Five seats in the Lok Sabha are currently vacant.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 25, 2018-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 25, 2018-Ausgabe von THE WEEK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Themes Of Choice
As Savvy Investors Seek New Avenues, Thematic Mutual Funds Are Gaining Popularity
A golden girl
One of India's most formidable beauties passed away earlier this month. The odd thing is she would absolutely hate this obituary; she hated being written about and avoided publicity for all of her nine decades. Indira Aswani was 93 when she died. But anyone who encountered her, even briefly, was in such awe of her grace and poise, and one could not but remember her forever.
The interest in wine is growing delightfully in India
The renowned British wine writer and television presenter Jancis Robinson, 74, recently came to Delhi and Mumbai to reacquaint herself with India's wine industry. This was the Robinson's fourth visit to India; the last one was seven years ago. On this trip, Robinson and her husband, restaurateur Nicholas Lander, were hosted by the Taj Hotels and Sonal Holland, India's only Master of Wine.
United in the states
Indian-Americans coming together under the Democratic umbrella could get Harris over the line in key battlegrounds
COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
Dasho Karma Ura, one of the world's leading happiness experts, has guided Bhutan's unique gross national happiness (GNH) project. He uses empirical data to show that money cannot buy happiness in all circumstances, rather it is family and health that have the strongest positive effect on happiness. Excerpts from an interview:
India is not a controlling big brother
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the \"big brotherly attitude\" is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. \"India's attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,\" says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.
Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
In her first political bout, Vinesh Phogat rides on the anti-BJP sentiment across Haryana
MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict