BJP Looks To Increase Allies, Isolate Congress

NEW DELHI: Though exit polls predict BJP may not need to fish for allies, the party is looking to keep lines of communication open with regional parties like BJD, Telangana Rashtra Samithi and YSR Congress.

BJP leaders feel these parties can be part of a “greater NDA” either as formal allies or outside supporters and help boost the new government’s numbers while weakening anti-BJP numbers in Parliament.

Such an outreach was very much part of BJP’s plans, but discussions with RSS (reported by TOI on Monday) have given the efforts a fillip as the party looks to widen its representation in the new Lok Sabha.

RSS’s advice that it would be useful to deny Congress likely allies and deepen the party’s isolation matches BJP’s own assessment that adding partners would be useful in shepherding legislation through the upper House in particular.

While YSR Congress chief Jaganmohan Reddy is a bitter rival of BJP’s partner TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu in Seemandhra, the saffron party feels a working arrangement may still be viable.

Jaganmohan’s relations with Congress had worsened ahead of elections and BJP leaders feel being an outside supporter of an NDA government may not be as difficult a task as might appear at first glance.

On his part, Jaganmohan has indicated he may have no qualms about supporting Narendra Modi as prime minister and BJP leaders feel state-level equations need not be a hurdle at the Centre.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao has not been averse to doing business with BJP and talks were on till as late as April before the saffron party finalized its poll tie-up with TDP.

KCR’s top priority is to secure the Telangana prize by forming the first state government in India’s 29th state and would not want to be on the wrong side of the Centre as long as he has the numbers in the state assembly.

The astute TRS chief can be expected to weigh the situation keeping in mind whether he needs Congress in the new Telangana assembly or can make do on his own.

Allying with BJP does not pose problems for TRS as the former has strongly supported Telangana and has been committed to smaller states. In contrast, KCR adroitly avoided a merger or even an alliance with Congress as he sensed the ruling party’s diminished electoral equity.

In the case of BJD, BJP ensured its channels with Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik remained open before and during the elections despite strongly challenging the regional party’s hold on the state.

Having been given a scare by BJP, Patnaik may now be inclined to renew his ties with the party he broke with in 2009, delivering a severe blow to LK Advani’s prime ministerial candidature.

More importantly, Patnaik will need a stake in the Centre to convince voters that it is worth their while to support BJD with BJP aggressively looking to replace Congress as the main opposition.

BJP leaders feel the BJD ranks high on their list as a potential ally and can help the party mop up the anti-Congress space.