With the second-longest continuous tenure in the nation’s highest elected position, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is poised to surpass Indira Gandhi. Modi has completed 4,078 days in office, one more than Indira, who served as prime minister continuously from January 24, 1966, to March 24, 1977. Modi is currently in the UK on an important bilateral visit.
The PM’s party confronts some domestic political obstacles as he achieves this milestone. First up is Bihar, where the opposition’s efforts to corner the NDA administration have gained impetus due to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
Congress Bihar in-charge Krishna Allavaru has stated that “all avenues are open,” while opposition RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has stated that the party may think about boycotting the election due to the SIR. Whether this becomes a viable alternative for the Mahagathbandhan will be one of the key stories to follow on Friday and in the days ahead, given the Congress and its senior leadership’s constant criticism of the validity of recent election procedures. As the opposition must be feeling the pressure in Bihar, this will probably work in the BJP’s favor by giving it breathing room to maneuver and launch a counterattack.
The second issue facing the BJP is handling the fallout from Jagdeep Dhankhar’s abrupt resignation as vice president earlier this week. Neerja Chowdhury says in her most recent column that the BJP will not be pleased with having to acknowledge that it was unable to handle a candidate it had selected for the second-highest constitutional position, even though it is unclear why Dhankar resigned so abruptly.
Third, West Bengal, one of the states where the SIR is anticipated to cause a political upheaval if held, will present a challenging test for the BJP in less than a year. Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister and chairman of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has previously stated that she will not permit the exercise in the state, claiming that it will result in the expulsion of legitimate voters.
The leader of the TMC has also directed her party to begin organizing around the subject of the incarceration of migrants who speak Bangla in states that are administered by the BJP. Banerjee accused the BJP of being an anti-Bengali party that harasses Bangla speakers and calls them Bangladeshis during her July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally in Kolkata. She claimed that the BJP had committed “linguistic terrorism” against Bangla speakers and declared that the party will begin holding rallies every weekend to draw attention to this injustice from July 27. On Thursday, she restated her statement.
The BJP lost the 2021 elections as a result of the narrative that centered on Bengali pride and portrayed it as an outsider party. This narrative may also harm the BJP’s chances in the next elections. One thing to look out for will be how the party handles this while continuing to pander to its core base by being strong on illegal immigration.
Additionally, today:
Amit Shah, the union home minister, will propose a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to prolong Manipur’s presidential rule by six months.
In Uttar Pradesh, the NISHAD Party will honor female activists and have talks about Phoolan Devi’s “contribution to the fight for social justice” on Friday, the anniversary of her death. Phoolan Devi was a bandit who later became a politician.
