Swift rise

The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership appears determined to dispel any notion that the 45-year-old Nitin Nabin, recently appointed as the party’s working president, is merely a figurehead. The Bihar member of the legislative assembly, whose swift rise has taken many within the party by surprise, is set to become the BJP’s youngest-ever national president. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend his swearing-in ceremony, following Nabin’s unanimous election to the top post. In a clear signal that the new chief is expected to assert authority, the party has lined up a meeting of national and state organisational leaders immediately after he assumes office. The two-day conclave will see Nabin address leaders from across the country, underlining his role as the BJP’s new power centre. Since taking charge as working president, Nabin has been immersing himself in the party’s organisational machinery, familiarising himself with its intricate workings. He is also expected to hit the road during the upcoming round of assembly elections, where he will address rallies across various states. The Narendra Modi-Amit Shah leadership is learnt to have backed Nabin’s elevation as part of a broader generational shift within the party. However, some party leaders privately believe that despite Nabin’s rise, key decisions will continue to be shaped by the Modi-Shah duo.

A sip in solidarity

A photograph of the Kerala chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, sipping coffee from a mug inscribed with the words, “Love you to the moon and back”, became the talk of the town. The moment was captured during his day-long protest against the Centre’s policies at Martyrs’ Square in Thiruvananthapuram. It is believed that Vijayan’s choice of the mug was inspired by a Facebook post by a survivor in the rape and forced abortion cases involving the Palakkad MLA, Rahul Mamkootathil.

In her post, the survivor had used the same phrase to express her love for the foetus she carried before being allegedly forced to abort. Mamkootathil, 36, was a Congress legislator and was expelled from the party following allegations of serial sexual predation. So far, three survivors have come forward publicly. But he continues to serve as an MLA.

Shared concerns

A meeting between the Samajwadi Party chief, Akhilesh Yadav, and the former Odisha CM and Biju Janata Dal supremo, Naveen Patnaik, sparked speculation about a possible non-BJP Opposition alliance to challenge the National Democratic Alliance government in the state. Although the meeting was described as a courtesy call, Yadav’s visit to Naveen Nivas is being seen as politically significant.

The meeting comes amid a perceived rise in incidents of communal friction in Odisha under the BJP. The recent lynching of a Muslim youth in Balasore by alleged cow vigilantes has triggered widespread outrage among secular groups, many of whom are looking to Patnaik for a response. While Yadav strongly condemned the incident, Patnaik thanked Yadav for the visit and posted on social media, “We had a meaningful discussion on several contemporary issues.”

Divided
house

The Congress leadership held a meeting with senior observers for poll-bound Assam, along with the state unit president, Gaurav Gogoi, and the Congress Legislature Party leader, Debabrata Saikia. State Congress insiders said the AICC needs to issue a clear directive to state leaders to project unity in both letter and spirit. According to them, the main challenge in Assam is not the BJP’s entrenched position but the lack of cohesion among “five or six” senior Congress leaders. They are seen as being united against whoever happens to be the incumbent PCC president. “Once a new president is appointed, they turn against him after a while and this cycle of backbiting continues till a new president is appointed... they concentrate on finding faults with whosoever is the new president,” one of the insiders said.

Damage
control

The Opposition Congress may have hoped that the resignation of the former All Assam Minorities Students’ Union president, Rejaul Karim Sarkar, two days after joining the party, would ease the barrage of criticism it has been facing. Sarkar’s remarks about “turning Sivasagar [the capital of the Ahom dynasty] into Dhubri [a Muslim-majority area]” caused a major controversy.

This prompted the Congress leadership to distance itself from Sarkar. The CM, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said that by allowing Sarkar to resign instead of expelling him, the Congress has turned him into a hero. The Raijor Dal, which is trying to woo minorities, has said that Congress did not handle the issue properly. Congress insiders now hope the incident has not derailed the party’s ambitions of forming the next sarkar .