BJP's election blitz and Congress in a huddle; Exploding controversies over cafe blast and water

Welcome ladies and gentlemen,

The week has been politically jam-packed as parties nationwide gear up for the Lok Sabha polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made headlines by releasing its first list of candidates for 195 seats, kicking off the electoral marathon, while Congress hogged the limelight with the list of 39 seats.

Congress has released the initial list of candidates for 39 Lok Sabha constituencies across Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Sikkim. Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP, will once again vie for the Wayanad seat in Kerala. Among the 39, 16 are from Kerala, seven from Karnataka, six from Chhattisgarh, four from Telangana, two from Meghalaya, and one each from Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. However, one glaring absence in the list raises questions: Did Congress miss to address the elephant in the room—Madhya Pradesh?

In Karnataka, the blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru ignited a political dispute between the BJP and the Congress. The BJP accused the Congress government of showing sympathy towards anti-social elements and terrorist organisations, asserting that the Siddaramaiah disposition lacked the moral authority to govern.

If this was not enough, Bengaluru is staring at a severe water crisis, with the city facing a shortfall of over 1,500 MLD. And, the crisis has turned political, with opposition BJP leaders accusing the government of ineffective management and issuing a stern warning of protests if decisive action is not taken within a week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is practically on a political steroids regimen, sprinting through states from South to North, with his latest stop being Jammu and Kashmir. He's blowing the bugle loud and clear for the upcoming elections, inaugurating several projects and laying stones for many others along the way.

We will get to these stories and more that made headlines this week in this edition of DH Political Theatre.

BJP's election blitz and missing faces

In the lead-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the BJP announced its first list of candidates for the 195 Lok Sabha seats, featuring top leaders like Modi and Shah. But amidst the fanfare, notable names are conspicuously absent, leaving supporters and opponents alike scratching their heads.

Staying on to BJP's candidate list, the first list named the top leaders of the party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Home Minister Amit Shah as well as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. All the leaders will contest from their respective seats. While this seemed more on the predicted line, the omitted names from the list such as Meenakshi Lekhi, John Barla, Rameshwar Teli, and former union minister Harshvardhan, packed surprises. BJP also has several new faces like Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar from Thiruvananthapuram, Anil Antony from Pathanamthitta, Bansuri Swaraj from the New Delhi seat among others.

Sandeshkhali saga: A tale of turmoil and triumph

Meanwhile, in West Bengal, the tranquil island of Sandeshkhali, which has been in the midst of a sociopolitical upheaval, is reportedly inching back to calm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the women from Sandeshkhali during his visit to Bengal on March 6.

Lalu's war of words with Modi

In Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Modi on Sunday, March 3, in response to Modi's earlier accusation of dynastic politics in the state. Lalu's remark saw BJP leaders rallying behind Modi, including Amit Shah and JP Nadda, changing their 'X' bios to "Modi Ka Parivar". While the opposition and RJD defended Lalu, Prime Minister Modi responded during a rally in Adilabad, Telangana, stating that the entire nation is his family. This verbal sparring underscores the intensity of political discourse in Bihar.

Electoral Bonds and SBI 'banking' on extension

Following the Supreme Court's scrapping of Electoral Bond schemes on February 15, and its directive to the SBI to furnish electoral bond data to the Election Commission by March 6, the bank sought an extension till June 30 to disclose details of each electoral bond encashed by political parties. On March 7, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) moved a contempt notice against SBI in the electoral bonds case, alleging that SBI had willfully and deliberately disobeyed the judgment passed by the Constitution Bench of the Court, undermining the right to information of citizens.

Water woes: Diving into a political mess

As Karnataka grapples with the aftermath of the Cafe blast, another crisis looms large: water scarcity. With summer looming, the state finds itself parched for solutions. Amidst finger-pointing and blame games, the opposition seizes the opportunity to blame Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's administration, accusing them of poor management.

But as the political tide rises, Bengaluru residents are left high and dry, wondering when relief will flow. In a desperate bid to quench the city's thirst, the government explored unconventional solutions - taking over all private water tankers in the city, making provisions to allow apartments to sell treated water, allocating funds, and so on - but will it be enough to stem the tide of discontent?

Exploding with controversy and brewing political storm

This week, Karnataka witnessed a fiery political showdown over the blast that rocked the Rameshwaram Cafe in Whitefield. While investigators are piecing together clues, political leaders wasted no time slinging accusations back and forth. The explosion ignited a fierce debate between the BJP and the Congress, with each side pointing fingers and throwing verbal bombs.

The opposition BJP accused the Congress government of siding with anti-social elements, while Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar fired back, accusing the BJP of exploiting the tragedy for political gain. As the smoke clears, one thing is certain: this cafe and the unfortunate incident are serving up a battleground for political warfare, even if not a cup of coffee for now!

Caste census and DKS's legal lifeline

In Karnataka, the week also saw the heat turning up on the issue of caste census. The Socio-Economic and Education Survey report, caste survey, was submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah after nine long years. While the details of the report are yet to be revealed, the Vokkaligas and Lingayats, the two dominant castes in the state have expressed reservations about the survey and called for its dismissal.

In yet another development, Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar could breathe easy as the Supreme Court quashed money laundering proceedings against him.

Padmaja's BJP voyage

As the Lok Sabha election looms on the horizon, Kerala's political landscape dealt a huge blow as Padmaja, daughter of the former Chief Minister K Karunakaran, sets sail for the BJP. With Congress and the I.N.D.I.A. bloc facing rough seas, Padmaja's defection delivers a blow to the old guard.

Tripura's political Pact

In a week filled with high political activity, Tripura witnessed significant developments as the central government signed a tripartite agreement promising solutions to indigenous community issues in the state. This agreement involved the Tripura government, the main opposition Tipra Motha, which later joined hands with the BJP-led dispensation. Two of Tipra Motha's MLAs - Animesh Deb Barma and Brishaketu Deb Barma - also took oath as ministers in the Manik Saha government at Agartala.

World stage: Nikki's exit and Biden's address

Republican former UN ambassador Nikki Haley suspended her White House campaign, leaving former President Donald Trump as the party's sole nominee. Though Haley did not endorse Trump during her address, she urged him to seek the support of Republican and independent voters who had previously backed her.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden's State of the Union address promises to be a defining moment in his presidency, as he spelt out his vision for the future.

There's much to anticipate in the week ahead, and we will be back with all that's making headlines once it's all unfolds. Until then, adios!

Exit stage left,

DH Newsletters Team