My Columns: Without Fear and Favour

Is BJP all set to Capture Delhi? By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 22, 2014 The twin victories in Haryana and Maharashtra seem to have given wings to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ambitions in Delhi. The party that only till recently was averse to holding fresh elections in the city-state where the assembly has been kept in suspended animation ever since the fall of the Aam Aadmi Party government in February this year, is now prepared to take the plunge.  Reports suggest that it may now accept any offer from Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to take a shot at the government formation in Delhi. The Fate of Delhi Assembly to be decided after Diwali It may be mentioned that the Delhi House is kept under suspended animation as of now. Given the constitution of the present assembly with both the BJP and the AAP having 28 members each (after a few of the BJP members became MPs), the Congress, eight, and the Shiromani Akali Dal, Janata Dal (United) and Independents, one...

Amit Shah : Scripting BJP's Success By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 21, 2014 If Narendra Modi is the strategist then Amit Shah has emerged as the executor. Together they hunt in pairs and have already proved their formidable influence in the recent Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections. Yet it is to the credit of Shah –who was handpicked by Modi to be the youngest ever President of the Janata Party at 50 – to quickly establish himself as an alter ego of Modi at the altar of Right-wing politics! Today, he proposes and  Prime Minister Modi  – the demigod – disposes whereas the BJP reaps the electoral  benefits of their association . Amit Shah: Rising in Political Stature Shah inarguably is the man of the moment after scripting a fairytale victory for his party in Haryana and Maharashtra. These were the first assembly elections within six months of the BJP forming its government in New Delhi and the onus was on him to prove that the setbacks to t...

When will Jammu and Kashmir Polls be held ? By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 20, 2014 Anti-incumbency, coupled with a certain NaMo factor, resulted in the demolition of sitting governments in the  Assembly polls in Maharashtra  and Haryana. The focus now shifts to the troubled Jammu & Kashmir where the  Election Commission  is yet to take a call on whether to hold elections in December or to defer it. Election Commission to hold Elections as per schedule in J and K The EC has the mandate to hold elections in the state before the six-year term of the 87-member  J&K Assembly  ends on January 19, 2015. If the EC fails to do so, Governor’sr ule would be imposed as per J&K’s Constitution. You may also like to read About J and K Elections There are at least three factors that presently must be weighing heavily on the Election Commission before taking a call on the election dates: Winter snow in the Valley that ma...

Maharashtra Assembly Elections : Through the Years By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 18, 2014 Maharashtra politics in the last three decades invariably revolved around Sharad Pawar and late Bal Thackeray — indisputably the two tallest leaders of Maharashtra politics in recent times. Some other prominent leaders of the era such as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s late Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde were more active as a conduit between the BJP and Thackeray while Sushil Kumar Shinde, late Vilasrao Deshmukh and late Sudhakarrao Naik (all former chief ministers of the state) were largely seen as quintessential Pawar baiters in the Congress! Sharad Pawar and Bal Thackeray : Two Pillars of Maharashtra Politics Pawar was once even considered a strong contender for the prime minister’s post in the early ‘90s while Thackeray remained the uncrowned king of Bombay (now Mumbai). Yet unlike Pawar, the latter personally remained away from electoral politics despite floatin...

Haryana Assembly : Political Complexities By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 18, 2014 Consider the following traits of Haryana elections that the state bequeathed in the 21st Century: 1)    The domineering role of regional parties in the state ever since its inception in 1966. 2)    The dominance of political families in the state. 3)    The predominance of caste-based politics 4)    The continuation of the ‘Aya Ram Gaya Ram’ politics of defection and splits, by exploring the loopholes in the existing anti-defection laws. 5)    The dearth of Right-wing politics 6)    Large turnout of voters during elections An important factor that adds up is the uninterrupted decade-old Congress rule under Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, since 2005. Yet, Haryana, even since its formation in 1966, did have similar uninterrupted long stints of the Congress rule in the last century t...

Haryana and Maharashtra : Going in the BJP’s Basket? By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 16, 2014 From celebrated writer-director-poet Gulzar to superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, and from teen heartthrobs Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor to Bollywood’s own members of Parliament Hema Malini,  Rekha, Jaya Bachchan, and Kirron Kher – the glamorous faces of tinsel town provided enough photo-ops  as they lined up to cast their votes on the polling day (15th October) in Mumbai. But if one thought that the star-struck people would follow their matinee idols to turnout in large numbers to cast their votes, then this was not the case. Go vote”, tweeted superstar Salman Khan. He exhorted people to choose candidates “like girlfriends”. Polling had not picked up till late afternoon in Maharashtra and political parties started pressing panic buttons. Finally, Maharashtra recorded an impressive 64 percent turnout – about four per cent more than the  Assembly...

Post-Poll Scenario in Maharashtra and Haryana : Impact on Central Politics By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 15, 2014 As nearly 10 crore voters in Haryana and Maharashtra exercise their franchise in the Assembly elections in the two states today (15th October), the outcome of the verdict would have far-reaching implications in New Delhi. They are just not about the reputation of  Prime Minister Narendra Modi , but about the political future of the Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as well because the Congress is the ruling party in both the poll-bound states. Yet another dimension of the poll outcome in these two states is that it could expedite the end of the era of coalition politics in case the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins on its own in these states. BJP has a lot at stake in Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly Elections Odds favour the BJP in both the states, and thus stakes are much higher for the Lotus than its rivals in the fray. The results m...

Will Modi Magic Work in Haryana in Upcoming Assembly Elections ? By  Deepak Parvatiyar October 14, 2014 It has been Narendra Modi all the way during electioneering and the banners with the slogan — “Chalo chalen Modi ke saath (Come on. Let’s move together with Modi)”— says it all in Haryana that goes to Assembly polls along with Maharashtra on 15th October. Modi continues to be a huge draw with the masses. His jet set rallies have discomforted the rival political parties and the Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma even quipped: “He (Modi) has been busy pretending to be Chief Minister face for every state be it Maharashtra or Haryana.” Is BJP Banking on Modi Factor Alone ? Just look at the numbers of rallies that the Prime Minister held in both Haryana and Maharashtra in the Assembly elections –ten in Haryana and almost two dozen such rallies in Maharashtra! He wound up Haryana with an incredible three rallies on the last day of campaigning in the state. ...