News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Shivraj Singh Chouhan breaks Raman Singh’s record to become longest-serving BJP CM

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: This year’s Holi is special for Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as he has achieved the distinction of being the longest-serving BJP chief minister.

    On Thursday, he broke a record which had been held by former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh.

    While Raman Singh, who was chief minister for three consecutive terms, remained in the post for fifteen years and ten days, 63-year-old Chouhan has now surpassed him.

    The Madhya Pradesh CM’s tenure, however, has not been unbroken: he was out of power for fifteen months as Congress formed government under Kamal Nath’s leadership after the 2018 Assembly polls.

    As far as Madhya Pradesh is concerned, Chouhan has another record under his belt.

    On November 19, 2015, when he completed ten years in office, he became the first non-Congress chief minister of the state to do so.

    Then he went on to become the longest-serving chief minister of MP by breaking the record of Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh who had ruled from 1993 to 2003.

    Chouhan became chief minister for the first time on November 29, 2005, after BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Babulal Gaur had to step down in a span of two years following controversies.

    He quickly consolidated his position and led the party to victories in 2008 and 2013 Assembly elections.

    But in the next election, the BJP fell short of the majority mark by a whisker and Chouhan resigned on December 12, 2018, making way for Congress’ Kamal Nath.

    Nath, however, had to step down on March 20, 2020, after his government was reduced to minority as Jyotiraditya Scindia quit Congress and his loyalist MLAs resigned.

    Three days later, Chouhan became chief minister for the fourth time.

    At present he seems to be firmly in saddle, but whether he will lead the party in 2023 elections is an open question as a rival has emerged in the shape of Union Civil Aviation Minister Scindia.

    State BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said Chouhan’s biggest asset is his humbleness.

    “He is a successful CM because he works for people by remaining in their midst. He works for people’s welfare day in and day out,” Chaturvedi added.

    Chouhan celebrated Holi on Friday at his official residence here, greeting people with his wife Sadhana by his side.

    The chief minister smeared `gulal’ colour on visitors’ faces and was also seen dancing and singing Holi songs.

    He also planted a sapling at the Smart City Park.

  • BJP will come to power in Maharashtra on its own: Fadnavis

    The saffron party's alliance with the Shiv Sena ended in 2019 after which the latter joined hands with NCP and Congress to form government in Maharashtra.

  • Despite victory in assembly elections, winning presidential polls won’t be easy for BJP: Mamata

    The game is not yet over. Without our support, BJP won't sail through.  They don't have even half of the total MLAs in the country, she added.

  • Dynasty politics dangerous for democracy, we have to fight against it: PM at BJP parliamentary meeting

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Underlining that the BJP is against dynasty politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it is because of him that children of several MPs didn’t get tickets in the recently concluded assembly polls, according to sources.

    Both Modi and BJP president J P Nadda were felicitated at the BJP parliamentary party meeting here for the saffron party’s election victory in four states.

    In the recently concluded assembly polls in five states, the BJP retained power in four, including politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

    Addressing the meeting, Modi asked the party MPs to fight against dynasty politics as it is dangerous for democracy, sources said.

    To fight dynasty politics, the BJP has to put a check on such practices within the organisation, Modi said, adding that if the children of some party MPs didn’t get tickets in assembly polls, it was because of him, according to sources.

    Modi also appreciated the recently-released film ‘The Kashmir Files’ and suggested that such movies should be made more often, sources said.

  • Caste to class, BJP reaps benefit of welfare schemes

    The Uttar Pradesh Assembly election is over, with an amazing victory for BJP. Yogi Adityanath is again going to form the government, with more caution and a balancing attitude.The UP election and even the election in Uttarakhand sent out messages we need to read. The first message from UP is, a class has started emerging in the caste-based society, especially among the marginalised and poor communities.

    The process is slow, but it has started. This process started not because of any Left ideology, but due to the socio-economic empowerment of the poor communities. The Narendra Modi-led BJP government since 2014 started various social welfare schemes such as Ujjwala Yojana, free ration, PM Awas Yojana, direct cash transfer and pension plans. 

    Every party in power makes its own beneficiaries, but BJP through constant connect with the beneficiaries, transformed them into a community with consciousness. The party transformed them from a mere physical body to conscious beings who vote for the party.

    Badri NarayanThis beneficiary community is beyond caste and religion and it emerged as a community that broke its caste identity boundaries. Modi appealed to the party’s cadres to go to the houses of the PM Awas Yojana beneficiaries on the day of Diwali, light candles with them and distribute sweets. The BJP invented various ways to connect with these beneficiaries. But this beneficiary consciousness is transitory and the party needs to constantly come up with new plans for their empowerment, for gradually responding to these growing aspirational consciousness of the poor and marginalised.

    It is very interesting to observe that the party started its election campaign in UP with developmental claims and describing its success in delivering various social welfare schemes among the poor and marginalised. Dharmendra Pradhan, minister of education and in-charge of UP election 2022, facilitated cadres to interact with these beneficiaries and encourage them to go to the polling booths. This mobilising strategy worked.

    We were observing the trajectories of UP elections closely. What we observed when PM Narendra Nodi took the lead of of the campaign, it brought a qualitative change in the entire electioneering process. His charisma, ways of connecting with people worked well and many BJP candidates who could have lost, ultimately won. For us on the field who were observing this, it was like magic, what people call Modi magic.

    Thirdly, BJP as a very effective election machine worked well and harnessed this victory. Its star campaigners such as Modi, Yogi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh were making an impact through their rallies and meetings. On the other hand, hardworking organisers such as Pradhan, worked tirelessly on the ground.

    Last but not the least, the Sangh cadres worked voluntarily during this election and organised local war rooms. They also  interacted with the beneficiaries, other than working at the booth level. All this put together produced such a result, not only in UP but also in Uttarakhanad. This beneficiary consciousness and Modi magic produced this victory, which might have come as a surprise to many.

    Badri NarayanDirector, GB Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj

  • Banshidhar Bhagat appointed protem speaker of U’khand Assembly 

    By PTI

    DEHRADUN: Senior BJP MLA Banshidhar Bhagat was on Monday appointed as the protem speaker of the Uttarakhand Assembly.

    A notification on Bhagat’s appointment as the protem speaker was issued by Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh.

    A seven-time MLA, Bhagat won from the Kaladhungi seat in the just concluded state polls. He will function as the protem speaker until a speaker is elected. The newly elected members of the state Assembly will be sworn in by Bhagat.

    Bhagat became an MLA for the first time in 1991 when he was elected from Nainital in undivided Uttar Pradesh. He was elected from Nainital again in 1993 and 1996, and became a state minister. He was also a minister in the interim Uttarakhand government in 2000.

    In 2007, Bhagat was elected to the Uttarakhand Assembly from Haldwani. He has been the MLA from Kaladhungi since 2012.

  • Govt formation: BJP appoints Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh as observers for UP, U’khand

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday appointed its top leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, as central observers for government formation in the four states where it returned to power.

    In the latest round of assembly elections, the BJP won Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur, and on its own it touched the halfway mark in Goa. Punjab was won by the AAP.

    The BJP parliamentary board, its apex decision making body, appointed Shah as the central observer for Uttar Pradesh and party vice president Raghubar Das as co-observer.

    Singh along with co-observer Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi has been assigned to oversee the selection of the leader of the legislature party in Uttarakhand.

    Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Singh Tomar have been appointed as observers for selection of the leader of the legislature party in Manipur and Goa, the BJP said in a statement issued by its general secretary Arun Singh.

    Union Minister Kiren Rijiju is the co-observer for Manipur and his cabinet colleague L Murgan is the co-observer for Goa.

    While it is all set that Yogi Adityanath will again be elected as the legislative leader in Uttar Pradesh, the party has to take call on deputy chief ministers in the state, as one of the two in the previous government, Keshav Prasad Maurya, lost the elections along with 11 ministers.

    In Uttarakhand it is not clear who will lead the government in the state as chief minister Pushkar Dhami lost the election.

    In the backdrop of these circumstances and maintaining caste arithmetic in its favour, the BJP has appointed its heavyweights, former party presidents Shah and Singh, for ensuring smooth formation of government in both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

    The senior leaders as observers will look to select a team in these four states which can effectively steer the ship till next general elections.

  • BJP forcing State Election Commission to defer municipal polls: AAP

    The party had plans to gherao the BJP headquarters but failed to do so as police had put up barricades. Their protest led to a traffic jam in the area.

  • Make ‘The Kashmir Files’ entertainment tax-free: BJP in Lok Sabha 

    Participating in the debate on Jammu and Kashmir Budget in Lok Sabha, BJP member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal said, film is exposing the bitter truth and hence it should be exempted from entertainment tax

  • BJP’s ways endangering ‘purity’ of politics: Akhilesh

    He said that his party will continue to raise the voice of the people vigorously inside and outside of the Assembly House.