BJP names Pradhan as poll in-charge for Bihar, Bhupender Yadav for Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Thursday named Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Bhupender Yadav, both key OBC faces and most seasoned poll managers of the party, as its in-charge for the Assembly elections in Bihar and Bengal, respectively.
Making important appointments for three poll-bound states, including for next year, the BJP named Baijayant 'Jay' Panda, one of its vice-presidents, its in-charge for the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu where it is a junior partner to the AIADMK.
The Bihar elections are expected in November, followed by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu which are likely to go to polls in March-April 2026.
A BJP statement said Union minister C R Paatil, who heads the party's Gujarat unit and is considered a capable organisation hand, and Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya have been named co-incharges for the Bihar polls.
Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb is the co-incharge for West Bengal, while Union minister Murlidhar Mohol is the co-incharge for Tamil Nadu, it said.
Both Pradhan and Yadav come from the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and are among the most experienced poll managers of the BJP.
Maurya also belongs to an OBC caste, while Deb is a Bengali, an aspect which can be politically helpful for the party in the states assigned to them.
Pradhan was the in-charge for Haryana elections, while Yadav helmed a similar role for Maharashtra polls, both held in 2024, with the BJP pulling off wins of a stunning scale in the two states.
Pradhan's formal appointment for the Bihar polls came very close to the elections, though he had been involved in the state's affairs.
He was the party's co-incharge for the 2010 Bihar polls, when the BJP-JD(U) alliance scored its most emphatic victory.
He was also the in-charge in for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka, while Yadav oversaw polls in Bihar and Gujarat, among others, in the past.
With the BJP's national leadership plays a central role in shaping the party's campaign for Assembly polls, election in-charges play a critical part as their bridge with state leaders and implementing the party's strategies on the ground. The co-incharges assist them in implementing the agenda.
While the BJP is eying to retain power with its main ally Janata Dal (United) in Bihar, it hopes to breach Trinamool Congress' citadel of West Bengal, where it has emerged as the main challenger to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will complete 15 years at the helm by the next elections.
The OBC plank is especially resonant in Bihar where the community has been the dominant political force for decades, with the extremely backward classes, a subset of more deprived castes, along with a section of Scheduled Castes seen to be holding the balance of power.
Pradhan's immediate challenge will be to ensure a smooth seat-sharing arrangement among the BJP's allies, some of whom have been seeking a much larger share than it is willing to part with.
Both the BJP and the JD(U) headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are expected to contest almost an equal number of seats in the elections to the 243-member Assembly, though the other allies such as Union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitam Ram Manjhi too have been vocal in airing their demands.
Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha is another ally.
In Tamil Nadu, the BJP has remained a marginal player, trying to organise a strong alliance headed by the AIADMK to take on the ruling DMK.
Panda was the party's poll in-charge for Delhi polls this year, when the BJP returned to power in the Union territory after more than 25 years.
Alongside West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, Assembly polls will also be held in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry next year.
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JD(S) wants changes in certain provisions in One Nation-One Election proposal
Bengaluru (PTI): The JD(S) has requested its ally BJP to make changes in certain provisions of the proposed 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill linked to the ONOE proposal, particularly the special powers proposed to be given to the ECI to recommend postponement of elections in any state.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee held discussions with political parties in Bengaluru on Saturday regarding the Constitution Amendment Bill connected to 'One Nation-One Election' and sought their suggestions and opinions.
The JD(S) said suitable amendments had been proposed to the provisions empowering the Election Commission of India to recommend to the President the deferment of state elections, while also seeking legal safeguards for the stability of coalition governments and protection for regional parties during simultaneous elections.
"With regard to the Bill, the JD(S) extended support to the Constitutional amendment with certain conditions and amendments, while suggesting safeguards to ensure that regional parties are not adversely affected by the aggressive election campaigns of national parties during simultaneous elections," the statement said.
The party stated that coalition governments have been formed and functioning at both the state and national levels for several decades in recent years, and "there is a need for legal protection to ensure their stability".
"Therefore, it also suggested incorporating legal safeguards for the stability of coalition governments in the proposed Constitutional amendment," the party, headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, said.
The proposed Constitutional amendment grants special powers to the ECI to recommend to the President the postponement of elections in any state. Suitable amendments to these special powers have been proposed, the party said.
"On the above stated subjects, suitable submissions were made to the JPC," the party said in a statement, which has been posted on its 'X' handle.
According to the statement, the JD(S) delegation was led by M Mallesh Babu and included former MP D Kupendra Reddy, former Assembly Deputy Speaker M Krishna Reddy, former minister Venkatrao Nadagouda, MLA T N Javarayi Gowda, former MLA K A Tippeswamy and party legal cell president A P Ranganath.
