New Delhi: So, the electoral war in Delhi is over, and the BJP has won. Rekha Gupta took the oath of chief minister on Thursday at the Ramlila Maidan, a long event organised with six new ministers. The political speculation was further exacerbated when three heavyweight Bihar leaders couldn’t attend the oath-taking ceremony.
The BJP invited all NDA allies to the function. Shockingly, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi did not attend the same. Their absence has provided an opportunity for the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to say that the NDA lacks unity at a time when Bihar assembly elections are due later this year.
Political reactions and speculation
Reacting to the incident, RJD national spokesperson Naval Kishore said, “The regional parties in the NDA fear the BJP, and that’s why they always bow down to the BJP as the national party.” Political parties like JD (U) are cautious about BJP, because they are afraid that they have the same fate as Eknath Shinde of Maharashtra. They (BJP) keep sidelining allies systematically,” he said. The BJP, Kishore said, tried to portray on the day of oath-taking in Delhi that NDA was firm in Bihar, but the absence of key allies from the state deflated the opposition party’s claim.
Union Minister Lalan Singh and JDU Executive President Sanjay Jha were sent as representatives of Nitish Kumar, who is currently on his “Pragati Yatra” (the “development journey”) across Bihar. At the same time, Chirag Paswan was in Dubai, attending official state functions; no LJP leader was present for the function. Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Jitan Ram Manjhi and other leaders also observed the day as a “black day” and shunned the event. While it is being reported that Manjhi is currently ‘pressuring’ the BJP, not heeding his own community’s interests and demands will most likely lead to his eventual resignation from the Union Cabinet.
The oath-taking ceremony, which was held at Ramlila Maidan on February 20, saw six—Pravesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ravinder Inderjit Singh, Kapil Mishra and Pankaj Kumar Singh—being inducted into the Delhi government as ministers. Many of the NDA leaders spoke in support of and praised the leadership of Rekha Gupta.
LJP MP Shambhavi Choudhary commented on the appointment of a woman chief minister, saying, “It is good that women are getting representation once again.” Recall that the NDA has consistently advocated for women’s empowerment. In Bihar, women have been empowered with local leadership roles and I am hopeful that Rekha Gupta’s term will usher in the golden era of development in Delhi,” achieved through “the integrity, hard work, commitment and compassion of the fearless women of today.”
A minister in Bihar’s ruling coalition, Santosh Singh, who is also the Labour Resources Minister, said the BJP has never been sceptical of women’s empowerment. “We are a party that upholds women,” the BJP has consistently stated. Bihar also has 50% reservation for women in the municipal bodies and 35% in government jobs under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The NDA is for protecting women’s honour. Other parties only make promises.
Impact on Politics in Bihar
The absence of key NDA leaders from Bihar, such as Nitish Kumar, from the Delhi event has sparked speculation about potential disputes within the alliance. Political analysts believe that even if these absences are an indication of logistical decision-making, they also indicate possible fundamental internal matters for the party with the Bihar Assembly elections approaching. Only time will tell whether the NDA stays intact or if more splits occur as the political dynamics of Bihar keep adjusting.
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