RANCHI (30.05.2026): It is just a matter of time when Jharkhand too will become saffron and the area ruled by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP will increase further. Multi-party democratic system not only survived in India but thrived as well where regional political parties represented aspirations of the local people and in the case of Jharkhand it is the aspiration of the tribal people. So, it is up to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren if he is elected to take care of the aspirations of the people or the BJP.
A change of guard in Jharkhand on the lines of Maharashtra where Eknath Shinde was brought into the NDA fold as Chief Minister of the state and now haplessly serving as Deputy Chief Minister. The BJP gained politically and cornered the alliance partner Shiv Sena which had very little option except giving its nod to the BJP’s proposal. Is there anything new that the BJP is likely to do in Jharkhand? No, certainly not. There is a long history where the BJP has long-term plans for its allies and also for the political parties that supported it on issues. Is the BJP on its plans without any deviation?
The Game of Nitish’s Ouster:
The BJP was in alliance with Janata Dal (United) when it was Samata Party under George Fernandes. The party accepted Nitish Kumar as the leader of the NDA in Bihar when it had leaders like Sushil Modi but it failed to come out of the shadows despite becoming the single largest party in the Assembly on more than one occasions. The alliance has won successive elections and Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM for around 10 times. But when the time has come where JD (U) was not in position to join any other alliance as it did in the past, the BJP thrusted its first-ever CM in Bihar that it was vying for long. The same Nitish Kumar, who cancelled dinner for the BJP leaders on an advertisement that for him was defamatory for Bihar, surrendered and even touched the feet of PM Narendra Modi on many occasions. His behaviour may be attributed to his health but not the surrender.
Sun sets on the self-proclaimed son of Modi:
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who often called himself as the son of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has almost gone into political oblivion. The Telugu Desam Party-Janasena Party-BJP-led alliance swept polls in the state by capturing 164 seats out of 175-member Assembly, Reddy had very little option left with. The BJP is in alliance with the same party whose leader once called the prime minister a terrorist and the home minister Amit Shah had said that doors of the TDP are closed for ever. But the fact is those supporting the BJP for the passage of many bills including making Article 370 ineffective are now on the margins.
All-India Political ambition doomed:
The proxy campaign of K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) by changing the name of his party from Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) to Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) did not help him at all. He is politically getting redundant by the day and the space vacated by him is being captured by the BJP in the state. There are two simultaneous projects for the BJP in the state: First eating into the vote bank of BRS and taking it to such a level where the saffron outfit is able to form the government; and second is poaching attempt on the incumbent Chief Minister A Revanta Reddy who was once part of the RSS-affiliated organisation Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. There is no sign of the revival of the BRS and an attempt to prove ideological loyalty by A Revanta Reddy may harm the Congress in the state in the long run. Too much appeasement gives fertile ground for the BJP to grow and expand. KCR is so troubled that he had to suspend his daughter from the party. There are innumerable reasons for it.
Naveen Patnaik losing grip due to health:
Another regional satrap and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik helped the NDA government on many crucial bills to get passed in the interest of the nation defying the opposition unity. The BJD was defeated in the 2024 Assembly elections and now its senior leaders including the Rajya Sabha members are deserting the party. Strength of Biju Janata Dal (BJP) led by Naveen Patnaik has depleted in the Upper House ever since the party lost Assembly elections. With Debashish Samantaray quitting the Rajya Sabha seat and the party, he becomes third leader after Mamata Mahanta and Sujeet Kumar to leave the party taking the BJD members in the RS to 5. Samantaray has joined the BJP reportedly on the call of the Prime Minister.
Charisma of Mamata Banerjee fades:
There were corruption allegations against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee but she managed that no harm was done to her, her family and her associates. She sat on dharna to protect former Rajiv Kumar from the CBI. What TMC workers did to ED and other central forces is still afresh. But after the loss of 2026 Assembly elections, she is not only weakened but has become vulnerable too. This will impact the chances of Mamata Banerjee to revive the party. Mamata Banerjee who used to send Bengali sweets and traditional Kurta to the PM is fiercely opposed to him and relations further deteriorating as sweets were a hurdle for the politics of West Bengal. Not only political campaigns but cases against them all are likely to be started as she is no longer holding any constitutional post after losing her own Assembly seat. She will have to pay for the action, corruption and decisions of her own party workers including her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee.
(By Vinod Kumar Shukla)
