BJP Should Put Its House In Order & Introspect On Series of By-poll Defeats As Opposition Is up To Wrest Power From NDA

NOTWITHSTANDIING Congress losing deposits in Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-elections and six out of the  seven north-eastern States, party’s youthful supremo  Rahul Gandhi has stepped up verbal attack on the BJP and trying  to  float a common  platform of  opposition  parties  to take on Narendra Modi led  NDA in 2019 parliamentary  elections. He is happy that the dinner hosted by Sonia Gandhi at her residence was attended by as many as 20 opposition leaders including former Maharashtra CM and Union Minister Sharad Pawar, 78, who had at one point of time, was opposed to her mother and was eyeing Prime Ministership. Rahul Gandhi met Pawar, who now is heading the Nationalist Congress Party  to discuss the unfolding political scenario, particularly after BJP ‘s miserable failure to retain Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha Seats which were won by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath and his deputy Keshav Prasad  Maurya respectively in 2014 amidst media report that he may also meet TMC chief and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on March 28.It is on public domain that she has  grouse against PM Modi and the BJP.TMC under her leadership was making progress in Tripura, Manipur and Assam.BJP has halted her Juggernaut  in the NE.Besides, several TMC leaders are under the scanner of CBI and Enforcement Directorate-ED.Being one of the country’s  most senior most politicians and lawmakers ,she has  reservation about accepting the leadership of the  incumbent Congress President for a united opposition grouping against Modi led NDA.She has convinced Telangana CM and TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao to lead a third front comprising all non- BJP and non -congress political outfits. Rahul Gandhi is also trying to win the Dalit community by paying tribute to Kanshi Ram, the late founder of the BSP,on his birth anniversary. He was a  “great social reformer who brought latent social forces in touch with politics giving them voice”, Gandhi says on Twitter .The Tribune quoting media report says Samajwadi Party chief  Akhilesh Yadav called Gandhi asking him to withdraw Congress candidates from the by-elections held in Phulpur and Gorakhpur  but the Congress President decided to go it alone. Gandhi on Wednesday hailed the verdicts in Araria, Gorakhpur and Phulpur as a vote against the BJP saying the anti-saffron sentiment had taken root. The relations between Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav now are not as cordial as these were during 2016 assembly poll. Akhilesh later regretted saying that that SP might have performed much better minus tie-up with Congress in the assembly poll. The Congress has  lost ground in UP over the years.SP founded by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav on the basis of anti-Congressism.Despite Mulayam Singh’s opposition, Akhilesh had entered into electoral understanding with the Congress. Anyway, Rahul Gandhi has an arduous task to energise the party which is in power in Punjab, Karnataka, Mizoram and Union Territory of Puducherry. While Karnataka is going to poll in a couple of months assembly elections will be held in Mizoram later this year. The country’s oldest political party is surviving on a shoe –string budget. It is not in position to contest all the 80 seats in the Lok Sabha from UP out of 543 total seat across the country one year hence. But the question also remains whether the ruling NDA is well-prepared to face the 2019 parliamentary poll to continue in power. Is everything hunky- dory in NDA? BJP should introspect on the defeat after defeat in by-elections in Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan besides Uttar Pradesh.(image courtesy Financial express)