Double delight

When the Union home minister, Amit Shah, was named the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central observer for choosing the chief minister in Bengal, it raised eyebrows within the party. This is the first time in the Narendra Modi era that Shah has assumed this role. Party insiders saw it as a signal of Shah asserting his role in capturing Bengal. Although Shah has helmed key campaigns — Bihar, Delhi and Maharashtra, for instance — he had never before been appointed central observer. Bengal, leaders said, was different, representing a paradigm shift for a party that had long struggled to make inroads here. For decades, BJP leaders believed Bengal would remain resistant to Hindutva politics. The Modi-Shah combine’s success is thus viewed as a near-impossible feat. For Shah, the back-to-back wins in Bihar and Bengal carried added weight after the BJP’s below-expectation tally in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party fell short of its ambitious “chaar sau paar” pitch, securing 240 seats in the 543-member House. The Bengal breakthrough has helped re-establish Shah not only as the party’s pre-eminent strategist but also the strongest leader to succeed Modi.

Lost chance

Few know of the unfruitful attempt in 2009 to get the actor-politician, Vijay, to join the Congress. A photograph of Vijay with then National Students’ Union of India leaders, Gopinath Palaniyappan, Ashok Basoya, Ragini Nayak, and Hibi Eden — now an MP — is doing the rounds online. Back then, Rahul Gandhi — a Congress general-secretary in charge of the party’s student and youth wings — was pushing for democratisation and suggested that Vijay contest Youth Congress polls. That did not cut ice with Vijay. The rest is history.

Sharp jab

The former Union minister and Congressman, Mani Shankar Aiyar, took a familiar contrarian tone by publicly chiding his party for switching its loyalties from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam to the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. But Aiyar’s dissent did nothing for his party’s cadre in Mayiladuthurai who were roughed up by DMK cadre. Fisticuffs saw the latter prevail and rip off flags of the Congress, which has retained the seat in the recent polls. Aiyar has claimed that the Congress has not only violated Gandhian morality but also exhibited “political stupidity” in jumping ship without ensuring that the TVK had a majority.

Electoral theatrics

The Congress social media head, Supriya Shrinate, claimed that in a closed-door meeting with select reporters, the chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, “repeatedly called himself ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’”. She then went on to target him, saying “this shameless man is openly gloating about how he helped the BJP murder Indian democracy?!” The CEC is known for his theatrics in off-record interactions with reporters. After one such interaction, a reporter posted a photo of herself with the CEC, adding “In the upcoming elections [Uttar Pradesh, Punjab], there will be a lot to see.”

Flex
battle

Ever since the hullabaloo over choosing the CM of Kerala began, the three contenders have engaged in a ‘flex battle’ not only in Kerala but also in New Delhi and the Middle East. The former leader of the Opposition in the state, VD Satheesan, and the Congress Working Committee leader, Ramesh Chennithala, vied with each other. The main contender, the AICC general-secretary (organisation) and incumbent Alappuzha legislator, KC Venugopal, showed a little restraint in putting up flex boards since he is part of the Congress high command. But Venugopal’s flex boards have now come up around Kerala House in New Delhi, leaving many wondering whether it is a done deal.

Key faces

The stature of the Odisha CM, Mohan Charan Majhi, has risen after he was appointed a co-observer to assist Amit Shah in nominating the new CM of Bengal. Majhi had also toured Bengal and Assam to campaign for the polls. Majhi’s camaraderie with the Bengal CM, Suvendu Adhikari, is likely to resolve many contentious issues between the two states. But within the Odisha BJP, a competition for credit has emerged, with supporters of the Union minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, and the BJP’s national vice-president, Baijayant Panda, claiming that they had key roles in the party’s electoral victories in Bengal and Assam.

Clear choice

The BJP-led coalition government in Assam will take the oath of office on May 12 for its third straight term. But unlike 2021, there has been no speculation about who will be the CM. Himanta Biswa Sarma is likely to continue for a second straight term. He is himself monitoring the preparations for a grand swearing-in at the Khanapara Ground.