Rifts and Cracks within Bihar’s and Maharashtra’s BJP Alliances can be seen soon after the Lok Sabha election results are out.
Cracks in Bihar
Internal rifts within Bihar’s ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have surfaced following the 2024 Lok Sabha election results. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured victory in 12 out of 17 contested seats, while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) also claimed 12 out of 16 seats. The other NDA allies, including LJP (RV) and HAM, clinched five and one seat respectively.
Tensions flared when former BJP MP Hari Manjhi accused Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary, who also serves as the state BJP president, of failing to rally votes from his own Kushwaha community in favor of NDA candidates. Manjhi questioned Choudhary’s leadership, claiming he couldn’t garner support despite an extensive campaign. This criticism reflects a shift as the INDIA bloc fielded Kushwaha candidates in key constituencies, altering traditional NDA dynamics.
Cracks in Maharashtra
Meanwhile, similar fractures have emerged in Maharashtra, where speculation abounds regarding the BJP potentially severing ties with Ajit Pawar’s NCP. Instead, there are talks of aligning with Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde’s Shiv Sena for the upcoming state assembly elections. The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) triumphed with 30 out of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats in the recent elections, while Mahayuti, part of the NDA including Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, secured only 17 seats.
#WATCH | Mumbai: Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal says “We (NCP) were given only 4 seats out of the 48 seats for the Lok Sabha elections. Of those 4 seats, 2 were taken away from us. So, in these 2 seats, Raigad and Baramati and we won 1 seat. Now, how can… pic.twitter.com/SpBgwkbiKl
— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2024
“How can someone say that we fought on 48 seats, we only got 2 seats. BJP lost in other states as well, such as Uttar Pradesh. Nobody thought that BJP would get so few seats in Uttar Pradesh. So, blaming Ajit Pawar faction is not right,” Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal said.