The BJP is faced with a fresh disadvantage in running the government at the Centre as it has seen an erosion of its strength in the Rajya Sabha due to retirements – from 90 to 86 – and of the NDA to 101, in a house of 226 members. There is no serious threat to the government as such other than in passing key legislations. This too can be done on condition that some regional parties or independents come to the government’s aid. Problem is, they would demand their pound of flesh. In other words, the BJP and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to bend over backwards with more flexibility to run the government.
In fact, Modi has foreseen this scenario once the people refused to give him and the saffron party a working majority in the Lok Sabha in the recent parliament polls. The PM changed his previous tune and stressed that he would, from now on, rule by “consensus.” There, indeed, is no other way. This was not so in the past two terms. Modi could dictate and chart out the government’s course without consulting non-BJP-RSS entities except for formality’s sake. They were in no position to give him a challenge. For, options for survival were one too many for the two previous NDA governments. Problem parties like the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal had made their exits from the NDA, while the other allies were pygmies. Independents by themselves offered a buffer, too. Now, 11 Rajya Sabha posts are vacant – 10 since last month as they had contested the general elections and won other seats, while a BRS member defected to the Congress. Elections could take place to the vacant posts in a matter of a few months – which will be a critical period. Expectations are that the BJP would win about eight of these seats based on its strength in various state assemblies.
Yet, a scenario could arise sooner or later when both TD chief Chandrababu Naidu and JDU leader Nitish Kumar could ruffle the feathers of the NDA if they get the right chance, while JDS is a weakling. Both Naidu and Kumar could eventually seek deputy PM post or a readiness to come to Delhi by leaving governance of their states to their near and dear ones. In AP, Nara Lokesh is already dreaming of such a possibility. It is quite likely that the BJP is mindful of these situations. Rumours are that the saffron party is trying to get more allies to it to neutralize the scenario. For instance, it would try to break up the BRS in Telangana, which has now fallen on bad days.
