The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is now finalizing seat-share agreements with its NDA partners or considering running independently as the Lok Sabha election dates approach.
The BJP’s senior leaders, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and party chief JP Nadda, conducted an intense late-night meeting on Thursday to narrow down a lengthy list of candidates.
Sources have indicated that a list of names for 100 seats, which includes Mr. Modi for Varanasi and Mr. Shah for Gandhinagar, is anticipated to be released today by the BJP. This move aims to increase pressure on their adversaries in India by announcing candidates when the opposition party faces challenges in finalizing seat-sharing agreements.
Haryana
NDTV sources said that the party has chosen to go alone in Haryana, sidelining the JJP led by Dushyant Chautala. Mr. Chautala assisted the BJP in maintaining control of the state following the 2019 Assembly election, where the saffron party became the largest but was six seats away from a majority.
The JJP participated in the 2019 general election by nominating candidates in seven seats through an agreement with the Aam Aadmi Party, but was decisively defeated. The JJP-AAP alliance did not get any seats.
The BJP dominated the state by winning all 10 seats and securing over 58% of the votes.
Jharkhand
The BJP in Jharkhand will allocate one seat, likely Giridh, to the All Jharkhand Students Union. AJSU won the seat five years ago with Chandra Prakash Choudhary receiving over 2.5 lakh more votes than Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Jagamath Mahto.
Jharkhand has 14 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, with the BJP holding 12 of these seats.
Uttar Pradesh
Sources have indicated that the BJP plans to secure the majority of seats in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which holds significant political importance due to its 80 MPs in the Lower House. This decision aligns with the BJP’s strong presence and influence in electoral politics in Uttar Pradesh under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
Only six seats would be allocated to NDA members. The Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal will receive two seats apiece, while the Nishad Party and Om Prakash Rajbhar’s Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party will each get one seat.
In the 2019 election, the BJP secured victory in 62 out of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 seats, and an impressive 71 seats five years prior. The party also defeated its competitors in state elections, capturing 255 out of 403 seats in 2022 and 312 in 2017.
An intriguing observation that the opposition bloc in India may have noticed is the decreasing overall success rate of the BJP in the recent national and state elections.
However, this must be balanced by a slight rise in the total vote percentage in every case.
Assam
The BJP in Assam has agreed to allocate three out of the northeastern state’s 14 seats to its allies.
The Asom Gana Parishad will receive two seats, while the United People’s Party Liberal will receive one seat.
AGP and UPPL received an equal proportion previously but did not win any seats, whilst BJP won nine out of the ten seats it competed for.
Challenges in other places
There has been no decision made yet about other states.
In Bihar, the political landscape has shifted significantly after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) parted ways with INDIA and realigned with the BJP. The JDU reintroduced former NDA allies such as ex-Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular).
The BJP should consider current partners, such as competing sections of the Lok Janshakti Party.
Bihar, similar to Uttar Pradesh, is a significant state as it contributes 40 Members of Parliament to the national legislature. Only Maharashtra and West Bengal have more Lok Sabha seats.
In 2019, the BJP won all 17 seats it competed for, while its important partner, Nitish Kumar’s JDU, secured 16 out of 17 seats, and the LJP (at that time undivided) contributed six seats to the total.
The BJP in Maharashtra is currently in advanced negotiations with the Shiv Sena and NCP groups, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, respectively. The challenge is to ensuring that Mr. Shinde and Mr. Pawar are satisfied with their portion, as their collective influence supports the state government.
In the previous election, the BJP was in alliance with the Shiv Sena, which was under the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray. The BJP contested in 25 seats and won 23, while the Sena ran in the remaining seats and won 18, resulting in another victory for the Prime Minister’s party.
BJP’s Strategy for the 2024 Elections
It has been informed by sources that the BJP’s approach for securing a third term involves gathering input on current MPs, which includes consultations with grassroots workers and voters in their areas, and implementing a strategic reshuffle to counteract anti-incumbency sentiment.
The party has also mentioned that some MPs from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) are anticipated to run for election again. In 2019, the BJP had 85 of its OBC MP candidates win elections.
(This news report is from a syndicated feed. THND team members did not write or edit the content except for the headline.)
