THE ROAD TO THE 2024 Lok Sabha elections is paved with possibilities. The Congress is trying to reinvent itself by organising the Bharat Jodo Yatra and preparing to elect a new president—perhaps the first non-Gandhi in nearly 25 years. The BJP, ever on expansion mode, continues to bring in leaders from diverse political parties, even from those that are not ideologically compatible.
Since Rahul Gandhi began his walkathon, two former Congress chief ministers have joined the BJP. In Goa, Digambar Kamat switched sides with seven other MLAs; in Punjab, Amarinder Singh and four of his family joined the BJP, merging with the saffron party his 11-month-old Punjab Lok Congress, which he had floated after quitting the Congress. With these attention-grabbing inductions, the BJP has been able to steal the mind space.
The hardcore BJP worker may view the induction of non-hindutva leaders into the party fold with apprehension. But then, the BJP itself has been widening its reach since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister Amit Shah took the leadership reins. Since 2014, as many as 10 former Congress chief ministers have joined the BJP. Apart from Amarinder in Punjab and Kamat in Goa, there has been Giridhar Gamang in Odisha, S.M. Krishna in Karnataka, Vijay Bahuguna in Uttarakhand, Ravi Naik in Goa, K.L. Chishi in Nagaland, N.D. Tewari in Uttarakhand, Narayan Rane in Maharashtra and Pema Khandu in Arunachal Pradesh. Another former chief minister who has quit the Congress and may soon ally with the BJP is Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Esta historia es de la edición October 02, 2022 de THE WEEK India.
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Esta historia es de la edición October 02, 2022 de THE WEEK India.
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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.
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COVER DRIVE
Usage-driven motor insurance policies offer several benefits
GDP as the only measure of progress is illogical
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India is not a controlling big brother
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Comrade with no foes
Lal Salaam, Comrade Yechury-you were quite a guy!
Pinning down saffron
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MAKE IN MANIPUR
Home-made rockets and weapons from across the border are escalating the conflict
SAHEB LOSES STEAM
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