09-12-2007, 07:53 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>After the Shiv Sena </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Mr Advani's hunt for State allies
In renewing his party's alliance with the Shiv Sena, Mr LK Advani has brought some much-needed reassurance to the BJP's preparations for the mid-term election that now appears inevitable. <b>In the 2004 national poll, the difference between the Congress's victory and the BJP's defeat was the effort put into building State-level alliances with regional parties. While the then ruling party was over-confident -- it made a mess of negotiations or simply opted for the wrong choice in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam and Haryana -- Ms Sonia Gandhi walked the extra mile to woo partners.</b> Given the fractured, federalised nature of the polity, national parties have to work assiduously towards building pan-Indian coalitions. The BJP's record at keeping the NDA united and efficacious while in Opposition has been patchy. In the past two years, the party leadership has ignored the imperatives of coalition maintenance. Individuals have been encouraged to attack such undemanding partners as the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa. On the other hand, the fear of losing the crumbs of office has had the BJP bending over backwards in its fairly debilitating relationship with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka. Allies have been allowed to drift away, the Shiv Sena's support of Ms Pratibha Patil's bid for the presidency being a case in point.
Given this troubled backdrop, the BJP needs to get cracking on its State alliances if it is serious about being seen as a contender for power in New Delhi. After calming the waters with the Shiv Sena, Mr Advani has to take it upon himself to effect credible and effective combinations in Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Assam. In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP's natural pro-Telangana position -- sabotaged by a section of the leadership in recent years -- has to be brought back to centre-stage. <b>It must be used to court the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. In Jharkhand, even if the redoubtable Babulal Marandi is not brought back into the party, he has to be accommodated in the broader NDA family in some manner or the other. In Assam, it is imperative for the BJP to go with the AGP, its natural ally.</b> In 2004, the self-importance of State units and the smugness of the central leadership led to the BJP brushing aside the nitty-gritty of coalition-building. While in Opposition, the party ship has been steered by those who have appeared insufficiently alive to the reality that a national election is, at least these days, won in the States. With his return to the forefront of BJP strategy making, Mr Advani will hopefully rectify these shortcomings. After all, he was the man who piloted the BJP's transformation from a so-called 'untouchable' to a magnet for almost two dozen parties in the 1998 and 1999 elections. He has what it takes.
It is a sobering thought that the Congress-led UPA remains intact and is likely to go into an election untroubled and untouched by the virus of disunity. With the exception of Mr Ram Vilas Paswan -- who could, conceivably, put up candidates of his own in Bihar -- and perhaps the junior Dravida parties, no alliance partner is likely to damage the integrity of the ruling coalition as it seeks re-election. The RJD in Bihar and the DMK in Tamil Nadu are solidly behind the Congress. This is an advantage that cannot be sneezed at. That is why, Mr Advani's attempt to revitalise the NDA has come not a day too soon.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Mr Advani's hunt for State allies
In renewing his party's alliance with the Shiv Sena, Mr LK Advani has brought some much-needed reassurance to the BJP's preparations for the mid-term election that now appears inevitable. <b>In the 2004 national poll, the difference between the Congress's victory and the BJP's defeat was the effort put into building State-level alliances with regional parties. While the then ruling party was over-confident -- it made a mess of negotiations or simply opted for the wrong choice in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Assam and Haryana -- Ms Sonia Gandhi walked the extra mile to woo partners.</b> Given the fractured, federalised nature of the polity, national parties have to work assiduously towards building pan-Indian coalitions. The BJP's record at keeping the NDA united and efficacious while in Opposition has been patchy. In the past two years, the party leadership has ignored the imperatives of coalition maintenance. Individuals have been encouraged to attack such undemanding partners as the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa. On the other hand, the fear of losing the crumbs of office has had the BJP bending over backwards in its fairly debilitating relationship with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka. Allies have been allowed to drift away, the Shiv Sena's support of Ms Pratibha Patil's bid for the presidency being a case in point.
Given this troubled backdrop, the BJP needs to get cracking on its State alliances if it is serious about being seen as a contender for power in New Delhi. After calming the waters with the Shiv Sena, Mr Advani has to take it upon himself to effect credible and effective combinations in Tamil Nadu, Haryana and Assam. In Andhra Pradesh, the BJP's natural pro-Telangana position -- sabotaged by a section of the leadership in recent years -- has to be brought back to centre-stage. <b>It must be used to court the Telangana Rashtra Samiti. In Jharkhand, even if the redoubtable Babulal Marandi is not brought back into the party, he has to be accommodated in the broader NDA family in some manner or the other. In Assam, it is imperative for the BJP to go with the AGP, its natural ally.</b> In 2004, the self-importance of State units and the smugness of the central leadership led to the BJP brushing aside the nitty-gritty of coalition-building. While in Opposition, the party ship has been steered by those who have appeared insufficiently alive to the reality that a national election is, at least these days, won in the States. With his return to the forefront of BJP strategy making, Mr Advani will hopefully rectify these shortcomings. After all, he was the man who piloted the BJP's transformation from a so-called 'untouchable' to a magnet for almost two dozen parties in the 1998 and 1999 elections. He has what it takes.
It is a sobering thought that the Congress-led UPA remains intact and is likely to go into an election untroubled and untouched by the virus of disunity. With the exception of Mr Ram Vilas Paswan -- who could, conceivably, put up candidates of his own in Bihar -- and perhaps the junior Dravida parties, no alliance partner is likely to damage the integrity of the ruling coalition as it seeks re-election. The RJD in Bihar and the DMK in Tamil Nadu are solidly behind the Congress. This is an advantage that cannot be sneezed at. That is why, Mr Advani's attempt to revitalise the NDA has come not a day too soon.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->