In case you missed it By Election Results 2018: The bypolls result highlights the drastic change in poll math wrought by opposition unity. The lesson for BJP is now clear: In all states barring those where it is in a direct confrontation with the Congress, it cannot do without friends. Relying solely on the power of Brand Modi could also be a mistake.
While the BJP managed to win the Palghar Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra and the Tharali Assembly seat in Uttarakhand, in Western UP’s Kairana, the party lost its seat to the RLD, which had the strength of a united opposition behind it. It also lost the Bhandara-Gondia seat in Maharashtra to the NCP. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance received some solace on Thursday as the NDPP won the Nagaland Lok Sabha seat. This has been the worst year for BJP which has only won 5 of 27 Lok Sabha bypolls since 2014.The CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) won the crucial Chengannur by-poll in Kerala by a handsome 20,956 vote margin, a record for the constituency.
Poll Analysis: The final tally of NDA-2 and Opposition-2 in the Lok Sabha and NDA-1 and Others-11 in the Assembly in the 2018 bypolls underlines the fact that currently, the numbers are overwhelmingly in favour of a united Opposition. In the forthcoming epic clash of coalitions, it has the advantage. Does the BJP need to crank up its alliance quotient to take on a fledgling federal front?
After Gorakhpur and Phulpur, Kairana has shown that in 2019, the arithmetic is heavily staked against the BJP in 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The party will have to rely heavily on the charisma of PM Modi to bridge the deficit generated by a high index of opposition unity.
With opposition votes getting divided, BJP has managed to retain the Palghar Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra. But in the process, it has badly hurt its oldest ally Shiv Sena. The outcome of the Palghar and Bhandara-Gondiya bypolls has also come as a wake-up call for the BJP’s aspirations to be a pan-Maharashtra party under the leadership of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The by election results in Bihar present a huge setback for JD(U) and CM Nitish Kumar. The Jokihat defeat shows that his ground support is shifting away from him. The result also shows Tejaswi Yadav can lead RJD in his father’s absence. What are the options before Nitish Kumar now?Damp Squib: The Narendra Modi government’s bold plan to sell Air India to private parties suffered a major setback as the deadline for putting in bids expired on Thursday evening without even a single suitor coming forward. Industry had been abuzz with theories about a large business conglomerate and a domestic airline being interested, but in the end, this remained mere speculation. With not even a single bid, the government may have to restart the entire process with easier terms and conditions.Scaling Heights: India Inc rejoiced on Thursday as the Indian economy grew 7.7 percent year-on-year in January-March, its quickest pace in nearly two years. The figure surpassed China's growth rate of 6.8 percent in the January-March quarter, confirming India as the fastest growing major economy.Sobering Advice: On a day when the JD(U) suffered a reverse in the bypoll in Bihar, BJP’s other coalition partner in the state, Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP, expressed support for the JD(U) while advising the BJP to keep its allies together. The LJP’s state chief and minister in the Nitish Kumar government, Pashupati Kumar Paras, echoed the JD(U)’s statement that the BJP, being the bigger party, should keep its allies together by playing the role of an elder brother.Train Crisis: There will likely be no respite from crushing train delays this peak summer holiday season, as a choked network continues to try everything in the book to improve train punctuality. How delayed are India’s trains, its lifeline as far as passenger movement is concerned? During mid-May, 59% of mail/express trains running in the East Central Railway Zone were delayed. This means only 4 in 10 such trains in the zone arrived on time.Shocking Announcement: Zinedine Zidane has resigned as the manager of Spanish giants Real Madrid just days after guiding the team to the UEFA Champions League title in Kiev. Zidane claimed an unprecedented third consecutive Champions League title when Real beat Liverpool 3-1, capping a remarkable period in his first job in senior club management.Agree or disagree?
In the age of rising sons, he found himself ignored politically, sitting morose, the king without a crown. However, Jayant Chaudhary, grandson of the tall Jat of western Uttar Pradesh, Chaudhary Charan Singh, now has a chance to revive his tattered destiny. The victory of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) candidate supported by a united anti-BJP opposition in the Kairana Lok Sabha by-election gives Chaudhary a political breather. Just in time for 2019, he might think with a wink.On reel
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