Midas touch of Devendra Fadnavis in RS polls hailed as 'miracle' by Sharad Pawar

Midas touch of Fadnavis in RS polls hailed as 'miracle' by Sharad Pawar

New Delhi  

The BJP managed a stunning victory in the Rajya Sabha polls in Maharashtra and feat has been acknowledged and applauded by NCP chief Sharad Pawar as a 'miracle'.

The BJP at present has 92 members in Rajya Sabha and may get support of seven more after vacant nominated members' spaces are filled in. 

For his part, Fadnavis said this was just the beginning as internal rift within Shiv Sena-led front has come

to the fore and 'non performance' has made MLAs of the ruling side unhappy.

Taking a dig at Shiv Sena, which had betrayed BJP in 2019 after assembly polls

and allied with Congress and NCP, Fadnavis said - "Even the third candidate of BJP, 

Dhananjay Mhadik, polled more votes than Shiv Sena'a main candidate Sanjay Raut". 

NCP candidate Sanjay Pawar lost to Mhadik. All three BJP candidates Piyush Goyal, Anil Bomde

and Mhadik won the crucial polls.

This is seen as Fadnavis's sweet revenge on Shiv Sena for dumping the saffron alliance in 2019.

Former Chief Minister Fadnavis's number management was so smooth that as against the required 

quota of 41 votes to win a seat, BJP nominees Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal polled 48 votes, 

Bonde 48 and Mahadik got 41 votes.

The BJP's success lay in winning 10 additional and 17 total support of Independent 

and smaller parties. Among the 17 MLAs, only seven were associated with the BJP, but as

many as 10 who belonged to the Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance favoured BJP candidates.

In Haryana, BJP sprang a surprise and ensured defeat of Congress candidate Ajay Maken

by a very small margin.

Media baron Kartikeya Sharma, who was backed by the BJP and saffron party's

own candidate Krishan Lal Panwar won.

For BJP of course legislator Shobharani Khushwaha indulged in cross voting has been placed

under suspension. Congress has expelled one of its members Kuldeep Bishnoi in Haryana.

Number wise, the BJP's strength in Rajya Sabha now is 92 and Congress has 31.

The BJP won 22 of the 57 polls for which were held in different states 

while the Congress managed to win nine.

The BJP has the support of four nominated members and the saffron party 

may get the support of seven more nominated members after they are filled.

Former Chief Justice, Ranjan Gogoi, who is also nominated has not joined

any party. Four nominated members who joined BJP include Mahesh Jethmalani, Sonal Mansingh,

Ram Shakal and RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha.

ends 

Political message,  BJP eyeing to make deeper penetration in Vokkaliga support base 

New Delhi 

Caste is an important element of electoral politics in the southern state of Karnataka.

The Lingayat community is known for their assertive politics and has in the past allegedly deserted Congress for shabby treatment meted to Veerendra Patil in 1989. The BJP has been relatively strong among Lingayats.

But the saffron certainly needs to strengthen its base in the Vokkaliga caste-dominated districts of Bengaluru rural, Mandya, Hassan and Chikkamagaluru. The just concluded Rajya Sabha polls were vital from this perspective. 

All three BJP candidates - Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-turned-politician Jaggesh and Lehar Singh Siroya won the polls.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda is a Vokkaliga and thus Janata Dal - Secular (JD-S) has had advantages here.

But the BJP's decision to field actor-turned-neta Jaggesh as one of its Rajya Sabha candidates from Karnataka is certainly a tactical move keeping an eye on the upcoming assembly elections next year.

The BJP's poll strategists do not speak much but it has been suggested that many more such strategic moves will be made to woo the influential Vokkaliga community. Karnataka goes to polls by April-May next year.

A short message for now doing the rounds is that the saffron party wants to encourage more Vokkaliga leaders to embrace BJP. 

The Lingayat community comprises as much as 15 percent of the state's population, a majority of which reside in politically crucial northern Karnataka.

The community also runs hundreds of socio-religious mutts which again have considerable influence on the electorate.

Vokkaligas have around 15 percent population and are so crucial.

There is an emerging vacant slot for a formidable political party like BJP to make foray in this base.

Though in May 2018 assembly polls, JD-S had emerged as a key player and even came to power with the support of Congress, since 2019 the JD(S) base is eroding steadily. 

In general elections, JD-S experienced defeats even for former Prime Minister Deve Gowda and grandson Nikhil Gowda.

 

The JD(S) became so shaky that in April 2021 bypolls were held in two assembly segments Maski and Basavakalyan and also the Lok Sabha seat of Belagavi. But the nervous JD(S) had opted to contest only at Maski.

Importantly for the BJP, former union minister of state for Railways, Late Suresh Angadi’s wife Mangala who contested on a BJP ticket won the Belagavi seat defeating Congress nominee with a margin of about 2,900 votes.

Belagavi has been a strong bastion of the BJP for over two decades and Late Angadi had won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from this seat with a much bigger 390,000 margin. The JD-S candidate lost in Maski assembly segment. 

In fact in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the pro-Modi wave was so strong that the Congress and JD(S) in alliance just managed to win two of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the entire state.

In general elections, Deve Gowda himself lost his Tumkur seat and grandson Nikhil Gowda lost from Mandya. Several other JD-S candidates also lost and the only consolation came in Deve Gowda’s other grandson, Prajwal Revanna winning the Hassan seat.

"We know things have gone out of grip for Gowdas, the Congress does not exit much at three levels - local, state level in Karnataka and also at the national level. 

So BJP is certain to make deeper penetration into Vokkaliga support base. 

"Karnataka politics is up for upheaval," said a BJP leader from Karnataka in the
Modi government.

He points out that even in the bypolls held in December 2019, Deve Gowda's party lost Chikkaballapura, Krishnarajpet, Mahalakshmi Layout, RR Nagar, Sira and Hunsur. 

"Hence, we have a big advantage," the BJP leader said.

A former state unit chief of JD(S) H. Viswanath is now with the BJP and is a nominated member of Karnataka Legislative Council.

He says: “The JD-S as a party faces existential crisis. It may be still seen for a while as Deve Gowda still has some following”.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka, the Congress got one seat and the Janata Dal-Secular drew a blank in the results of the biennial elections to the upper House declared on Friday.

The second candidate put by Congress also lost the election. All three BJP candidates – Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, actor-turned-politician Jaggesh and Lehar Singh Siroya won the polls.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too won the polls. But JD-S nominee lost. 

ends 

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Nirendra Dev

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