Regional powerhouses crumble in 2024 Lok Sabha elections
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections have been full of surprises. Many prominent leaders faced unexpected defeats. Influential regional parties, once considered invincible, saw unforeseen setbacks.
One of the most shocking falls is that of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year political dominance in Odisha. It was unimaginable for many that the BJD would face such a humiliating defeat. V K Pandian, a close aide to Naveen Patnaik, was confident of a major victory. They were certain of winning seats in the Vidhan Sabha, even if their Lok Sabha performance faltered. However, the BJD experienced a major setback in the general elections as a regional party.
The BJD failed to win any Lok Sabha seats and also lost its grip on the state by not securing significant victories in the Vidhan Sabha elections. The BJP has now taken control with a clear majority, marking the end of the 'Patnaik era'.
The BJP has captured 20 out of 21 Lok Sabha seats in Odisha, while Congress managed to secure just one, leaving the BJD with none. This crushing defeat will likely take the Biju Janata Dal a long time to recover from. The BJP, which had never controlled Odisha before, is now set to dominate following the downfall of this regional giant. The question of who will succeed Naveen Patnaik as leader of the BJD is now a major concern.
In Punjab, the elections have brought serious trouble for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Once an impregnable force and a long-time ally of the BJP, the Akali Dal parted ways with the BJP during the farmers' protests and now faces a grim future. The party managed to secure only one seat, with Harsimrat Kaur Badal from Bhatinda being its sole MP. Their vote share in Punjab has plummeted to 13.43%.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), symbolized by the giant Indian Elephant, has faced another disastrous performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Once a formidable power in Uttar Pradesh under Mayawati, the BSP repeated its poor showing from 2014. In 2019, the BSP had won 10 seats through its Mahagathbandhan with other regional parties. However, the party’s complete failure in this election suggests it could be the end of Mayawati's political career. The party's reputation has also been damaged by the dismissal of its president during the elections and their votes being less than the winning margins in 16 seats where the BJP won.
Debates are intensifying over Mayawati and the future of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The party's vote share has hit a new low, even worse than the last elections. It appears that Mayawati's 'elephant' has lost its relevance in Uttar Pradesh politics. Meanwhile, the Bhim Army has emerged as a new hope for Dalits, with its leader Chandrashekhar Azad making history by winning from Nagina.
Mayawati's lack of a strong response to incidents of Dalit murders and other atrocities in places like Prayagraj has been a major issue. Her perceived subservience to the BJP has become evident. Her effectiveness has been hindered by a fear of the BJP and its agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Many believe that Mayawati's political decline is a result of her implicit compliance with the BJP's directives. The dismal performance of some BSP candidates, who only managed to secure between 25,000 to 39,000 votes, underscores the party's bleak future.
In the South, setbacks for two regional parties are noteworthy. The AIADMK faced a severe defeat, failing to win any Lok Sabha seats despite high expectations. This is a major blow to their political aspirations. However, AIADMK is expected to recover in the future, having secured the second-highest vote share in 24 constituencies.
In Telangana, the results have been tough for K Chandrashekhar Rao’s Bharath Rashtra Samithi (BRS). Both Congress and BJP have significantly increased their presence in the state, while BRS’s vote share plummeted from 41% to 16%. Despite this, political analysts believe that BRS has the resilience to weather such setbacks and will continue its fight to regain strength. They expect BRS to maintain its political relevance despite these challenges.
Experts are optimistic that AIADMK and BRS will overcome their current losses and achieve new successes. AIADMK is particularly focused on making a strong comeback in the 2026 Vidhan Sabha elections. However, the outlook is less hopeful for BJD in Odisha and BSP in Uttar Pradesh, which have faced severe setbacks in this general election.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
