Janata Dal (United) MP Harivansh has been elected as the deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha. However, to view the election as yet another feather in the top BJP leadership’s cap and one of the many failed attempts of the Congress-led opposition, attempting some sort of resurrection, will be too simplistic. Here is a list of hits for the BJP and the Congress:
Other than five pluses for the two principal parties, the election has four broad messages.
The BJP’s choice of candidate for the post of Rajya Sabha deputy chairperson was meant to send a message to all its allies, present and potential, that Amit Shah-led party is ready to shed its big brother attitude and keen to accommodate the interests of its fellow travellers.
And it was precisely for the same reason that the Shiv Sena and the Akali Dal decided to give up all their past differences.
The BJP’s changed approach is a result of the realisation that the party may fall short of an absolute majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. And there has been a concerted effort to send a signal to all its present and future allies that their concerns would be taken care of.
From BJP president Amit Shah’s recent parleys with leaders of important allies to PM’s speech in Parliament during the no-confidence motion—all point to a change of stance on the part of the ruling party.
The election of Harivansh has put paid to all the reported differences between the JD (U) and the BJP. By agreeing to give the crucial post of the deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha to its key ally, the BJP has ensured that the NDA stays united in politically significant Bihar.
The move may reduce some of the anticipated wrangling in the seat-sharing for the general election. The JD (U) may appear to be less demanding henceforth, helping the BJP assuage the feelings of other allies in the state. This is going to boost the morale of NDA rank and file in Bihar, eager as they are to do an encore in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The NDA had won 31 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
On the eve of crucial voting on Thursday, the AAP went on record, blaming the Congress for coming in the way of an emerging opposition unity. The AAP, with its three members in the Rajya Sabha, chose to abstain from the voting, weakening the opposition cause to make an impression.
The Congress candidate should theoretically have secured more than 110 votes but ended up getting just 105 seats. However, proponents of a strong opposition alliance should take heart from the fact that seemingly disparate groups – Left parties and TMC, to name just one—seem to be firmly on board.
There are reports of growing bonhomie between the BJP and the BJD. The BJP has perhaps reconciled to the fact that toppling the BJD in Odisha is going to be a tough ask and has therefore become less offensive against the Naveen Patnaik regime.
Patnaik, on his part, has reciprocated not once but many times. From abstaining during the no-confidence motion to open support for the idea of holding simultaneous elections across the country, Patnaik has been supportive of the BJP stance on many major issues.
While Patnaik seems least interested in playing a key role at the Centre, BJP seems to have decided to go slow in Odisha. This is going to have implications for the Assembly elections in the state due to take place along with the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
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