The absolute Congress win in Karnataka is rewriting the political equations of India. Congress itself may not have expected this kind of complete majority without having to buy the support of other parties like JDS. The scene reminds me of a scene in the Ramayana when Jambavan starts reciting Hanuman chalisa to boost Hanuman’s confidence and stature to enable the latter to fly to Sri Lanka. Hanuman, until a few moments before then, was unaware of his hidden powers.
The Congress, which everyone dismissed as an “over and out’ Gandhi-led party, has rebounded in strength and style. However, the price it may have to pay for being in a chair, as I read in posts, might cost Rs. 62,000 crores additional if the freebies are honoured, which it can never afford. The party’s statement that they had won due to the minority vote swing favouring them is already having an impact with demands that are difficult to meet.
Be that as it may, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made some astounding statements and proposals for the 2024 elections. She has claimed that she supported Congress in Karnataka(!) and demands that Congress reciprocate their support for the Trinamool party in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. The prompt rebuttal by West Bengal State Congress Chief Adhir Choudhury that there can be no understanding with Mamata and the State Congress’s fight against Trinamool will continue may not be all honey for Didi’s ears.
There was a time when the tankers of Kashi Vishwanath Seva Samity delivered potable water for free in many parts of water-starved Kolkata a few decades ago. Their motto was only service. Politics is no such charity and is a cannibalistic game where only the mightiest can survive. Mamata’s advice has unwittingly given away her underlying apprehension of a challenging situation in the 2024 polls. The poll-suave BJP has already brushed away the Karnataka loss and entered the Telangana battlefield with a bang, just a day after the shocking results.
The BJP never had any presence in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, or Karnataka. Being a national party, it suffers from a lack of positioning to address micro and local issues, which could be a disadvantage. As far as West Bengal is concerned, the challengers will be the Congress party and the CPM combine, and the BJP, in that order. My presumption is that it may be difficult for the BJP to repeat the last Lok Sabha results in West Bengal in 2024.
The win of Congress, if fortified with a win in any two large states between Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh by the year’s end, could boost its morale and poll prospects in 2024, causing a severe setback to Mamata, Nitish, and whoever else is aspiring for the PM’s post.
More interesting days are ahead.
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
