BJP doubts fractured mandate to impede party's core poll promises

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to compromise on BJP's core policies on his third term in power, minding the undue influence wielded by his strong allies. BJP can only implement policies that are compatible with the positions of Chandrababu Naidu's TDP and Nitish Kumar's JDU; the two major parties that have helped BJP survive the scare of an election debacle.

Nitish Kumar has already demanded the Common Minimum Programme for Bihar, which gives a glimpse of what is in store for the NDA government in the coming days. The JDU has already tightened the knot on BJP’s touted Agnipath scheme, which even the INDIA alliance once promised to stop. JDU spokesperson KC Tyagi expressed his opposition to Agnipath at the meeting held in Delhi on Thursday. He also demanded a comprehensive discussion of the matter. The opposition parties took up the JDU's demand.

Against the background of criticism of Agnipath, which was launched in June 2022, an opinion survey is being launched within the Armed forces. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also gave a yes nod to reforms if needed.

The JDU-BJP rift is likely to aggravate when it comes to caste census. When it was part of the Grand Alliance in Bihar, the JDU conducted the survey. The Congress had widely used the caste census as a campaign tool against the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. The repeated bargaining from JDU has already given headaches to the power elites within the BJP. The saffron party’s resoluteness will have no use in front of the JDU demands. At least BJP can heave a sigh of relief that JDU agreed to back them in UCC.

Albeit the BJP saying they will not give up portfolios such as home, defense, finance, foreign affairs, law and IT, there are talks within the NDA that the strong allies will have the power to bargain other key portfolios which will surely put the leaders in a fix.