PM MODI’S ‘PREZ-WORTHY’ MASTERSTROKE

After high drama and three days of political roller coaster ride and stalwarts’ names being proposed and their subsequent denials, when the Opposition camp at the behest of WB CM, Mamata Banerjee finally named Yashwant Sinha for the topmost post of the country… the bombshell from the otherwise “quiet” NDA came the same day or is it better to say close to midnight.

After a meeting in the national Capital between PM Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders, Draupadi Murmu’s name was announced as the NDA’s presidential candidate. Earlier, the “fractured” Opposition camp had proposed names of Sharad Pawar, Farooq Abdullah and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi for the top post. But all of them refused as they had doubts somewhere deep down about the Opposition’s chances of getting the numbers.

Astute as a politician that he is, PM Modi has the ability to think and think fast and also in terms of long-term vision. The selection of former Jharkhand Governor Draupadi Murmu as the NDA’s presidential nominee, after the tenure of a Dalit President Ram Nath Kovind expires next month, is in sync with PM Modi’s masterstroke. With the BJP already enjoying 48% of the presidential votes, its candidate, Droupadi Murmu, the 1958-born and former Governor of Jharkhand, is almost certain to win. Hailing from Orissa, Murmu already has the “support” of the state’s CM, Naveen Patnaik who recently advocated for the “state’s daughter.” And by virtue of being the former Governor of Jharkhand, can Soren shy away from her candidature? Earlier, in the article I had mentioned the term “fractured Opposition” camp, why I said so was evident from the fact when BJD, TRS and AAP had stayed away from the Opposition meeting to name the presidential candidate… as it may be recalled. Even though TRS on Monday said that it would support Yashwant Sinha, AAP has remained non-committal so far.

CRUCIAL ASSEMBLY POLLS AHEAD
It may be noted that crucial Assembly elections are due in Gujarat and HP in December which will be followed by MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and the Saffron party needs to embolden its imprint in the tribal regions of all these States to consolidate its position especially for the upcoming LS in 2024. In the long term, picking a tribal and a woman from Odisha is a huge gesture to boost the emotions of eastern India in the Bigger Picture.

RS WIN FOR BJP WILL MATTER
The recently concluded RS elections again proved the acumen of BJP politicians and their abiilities to convince smaller, regional parties and Independents to convince them and get votes in BJP’s favour. This also came as a shot in the arm for the Saffron party ahead of the presidential elections. For the presidential election scheduled on July 18, the NDA govt is short of the required majority mark by a little less than 20,000 votes and thus it is banking on AIADMK and friendly parties which may not even be part of the NDA such as the BJD and YSRCP apart from the Independents and smaller/regional parties. Saffron party’s strength in RS will now be 95, including the Independent. On June 3, BJP had added 14 members to its kitty when 41 nominees across parties were elected to the Upper House unopposed. The total value of votes of all people’s representatives (that is MPs and MLAs) is 10,86,000 and more than 50 percent of the votes are needed to win the presidential polls.

Currently, I reiterate, the BJP and its allies have around 48%. The grand old party, Congress and its allies have 24% votes, TMC has 5.4%, Jaganmohan Reddy’s YSR Congress has 4% and Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal has about 3%. If YSR Congress or BJD pulls the plug on the Opposition candidate and sides with the NDA… it will become a cakewalk for them to win the polls. It may be recalled that YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy met PM Modi recently and so did Naveen Patnaik May 30 and politically if that is any indication of things to come in the next few weeks, the NDA is currently placed in a better position.

CHALLENGES OF A MODERN BHARAT
The new president will remain in office till 2027 and hence he/ she will preside over the crucial Lok Sabha polls in 2024. The new President will also witness several changes internally and globally, hurdles and how the country bolsters itself from these challenges. During the next 5 years, the temple of democracy will get a new “Vista” with the latest state-of-the-art technology… There could be a number of statute amendments to live up to the changing times and several reforms towards a greener and cleaner atmosphere as the country is committed to cut carbon emissions by half by 2030. It is going to be a very crucial and eventful term with a plethora of bills coming his/her way.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
ROBIN ROY
The writer is Senior Associate Editor, Free Press Journal, Mumbai and former Managing Editor, First India