Dear Editor,
Electorates of Bihar have given a fresh lease of life to NDA. Much improved BJP’s tally has enabled the NDA to retain power in Bihar. Generally Exit-Poll predictions do not go wrong notwithstanding instances of exceptions. The Bihar election result has come in such a way that the projections were done by the agencies accurately but only inadvertently mistake was made by the agencies to say NDA for MGB and MGB for NDA. Apparently Congress has been facing existential crisis. This national party has been playing second fiddle to the regional parties in the respective states. Congress had 27 seats in the 2015 Assembly and now it has been reduced to 19. For NDA also it is no clean sweep in Bihar. NDA struggled hard to retain power. It was a cliffhanger. JDU needs to introspect since it has come down from 71 seats in 2015 Assembly to 43 seats in 2020 Assembly. BJP has reason to be jubilant as its seat share increased from 53 seats in the 2015 Assembly to 74 seats in the 2020 Assembly election. BJP should not bask under the glory of increased tally. Laxity in performance exacts its price in the next election. BJP always cannot bank upon the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi only.
BJP has also reason to be very happy at its performance in by-polls conducted in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Karnataka and Telangana. Congress has bagged one out of 2 seats in Jharkhand, bagged a lone seat in Chhattisgarh and wrested the seat from BJP in Haryana. Karnataka delivered a severe blow to the newly appointed State President of Congress D.K. Shivakumar, the jailbird. Possibly the appointment of D.K. Shivakumar as President of the party has not cut ice with the voters. Nothing has been done by the Congress to come out of its sagging image in Karnataka also. Congress is so desperate that it is prepared to allow any party with far less number of seats than it has, to run the Government with its support and play second fiddle to it with an one point-agenda of keeping the BJP out of power. This approach has kept the party under check. Congress must change its outlook towards BJP, even though it does not mean that it should join its hands with BJP. Congress is being seen as a tainted party by the people. Unless it makes sincere efforts to refurbish its dented image, its presence in political map would continue to be just symbolic.
Shiv Sena needs to emulate BJP. BJP is sticking to its promise of working in the JDU-led government in Bihar allowing Nitish Kumar to continue as Chief Minister. Shiv Sena made departure from its natural ally BJP to join hands with Congress and NCP, who were once his party’s arch political rivals for the sake of power. No party should go back on its commitment. People can see through the designs of every party and they will definitely teach a lesson when the next
opportunity comes.
K.V. Seetharamaiah,
Via-e-mail.