Assembly elections in five states in the next couple of months would have a bearing on the Assembly polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to be held early next year.
Assembly elections in five states in the next couple of months would have a bearing on the Assembly polls in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to be held early next year.
In all these states, regional parties have emerged as the real players, compelling the national parties either to ally with them or fight the polls to become relevant politically.
While the ruling BJP’s priority is to get mileage out of the anti-incumbency factor in Assam — with the help of some regional parties — the Congress’ priority is how to retain power in Assam and Kerala.
While the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamul Congress and the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK are not keen to have major allies as they are confident of retaining power in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the Left and the DMK want the Congress and other regional parties to make the fight serious in the two states.
The BJP’s crushing defeat in the Delhi and Bihar Assembly polls by the AAP and the JD(U)-RJD-Congress combine has made it cautious and realise that its “star campaigners” are not vote-catchers in states.
It is fighting the Assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to gain space and not to form governments on its own. This has become clear from the fact that it has projected a chief ministerial candidate only in Assam so far.
If Congress victories in Assam and Kerala would boost the morale of the party in the coming Punjab polls, the BJP’s performance in Assam could help it in the UP battle against the Mayawati-led BSP and the ruling Samajwadi Party.
According to sources, regional parties are not keen to ally with the BJP after it had broken alliance with the oldest ideological ally, the Shiv Sena, in the Maharashtra polls in 2014 and the JD(U) in Bihar last year.
Even the PDP has been reluctant to share power with the saffron party. The Congress is not in a position to make a dent in their support base.
Regional parties which have been key players in about a dozen states like UP,Maharashtra,Bihar,West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Punjab,Andhra Pradesh,Telangana Jammu and Kashmir,Delhi besides Kerala have been fighting with the national parties to protect their space
