A deeply worried former parliamentarian from the Congress asked a senior leader of his party, who is a current MP: “What is happening on the leadership front? Isn’t it getting too late?” The senior leader grinned and explained: “We have collected all the raw material — rice, pulses, milk, mutton, onions, tomatoes, salt, spices and vegetables. But the chefs have not been able to decide what is to be cooked — biryani, [vegetable] pulao, khichdi or kheer. The moment the decision is finalized, the food will be delivered within half an hour.”

What the MP meant is that the probable candidates to lead the Grand Old Party have, for all purposes, been identified, but which of the options is going to be the chosen one is yet to be decided. Is an experienced leader to be picked, or is the demand for a young and dynamic one to be met? Will candidates from the South, which added to the Congress’s count of parliamentarians, be favoured, or is the need for picking a Hindi-speaking leader to counter the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to be paid attention to? Or is a middle-aged leader, who could act as a bridge between the old and the young, to be given the reins of the party? It will be possible to make a choice only after all this confusion is tackled.

BJP president Amit Shah: Trying to come across as a veteran Telegraph file picture

Play the long game

The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Shah, may be a first-time member of the Lok Sabha and also a first-time Union minister, but he is trying to come across as a veteran. Unlike most ministers in the Union cabinet, Shah keeps himself out of conventionally important duties that a senior minister is expected to discharge in Parliament.

For example, a number of bills listed for introduction in the House are introduced by his deputies. He is believed to have carefully hand-picked his two junior ministers, Kishan Reddy from Telangana and Nityanand Rai from Bihar. These two deputies not only introduce bills in the House but also counter the Opposition’s arguments on those bills.

So far, Shah has only spoken on the Jammu & Kashmir issue in the Lok Sabha while seeking an extension of president’s rule in the troubled state. The Kashmir issue is widely believed to be important to Shah’s political plans, and he wants to use it to carve out a certain image for himself: that of a leader with an iron fist.

The decision to promote juniors by giving them more opportunities to speak in Parliament is seen to be part of a long-term strategy. Party insiders feel that Shah is training a fresh breed of young party leaders with an eye on turning them into his loyalists. After all, everyone in the BJP knows that Shah, who is just 54 years old, has set his sights high.

Imminent fight

The ‘electronic voting machine ghost’ refuses to be exorcized. Opposition parties have decided to back non-governmental organizations and activists on building a movement on EVMs instead of just jumping into the fray straightaway. There is a group of NGOs which firmly believes that EVMs can be manipulated, and some meetings have already taken place in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Another meeting is scheduled in Delhi today, during which all such NGOs plan to form a coordination committee that will draw up plans to create awareness and organize agitations across the country.

One senior Opposition leader said, “The top leadership of the Congress believes gathering evidence to support the claim was necessary. The good news is that most of the leaders are now convinced about EVM fraud. Some of us are working silently, asking technocrats to produce evidence. In the meantime, these NGOs approached us and we extended our support to them.

There may be a stage when we all will come to the front”. At an informal level, leaders of several Opposition parties are working on the EVM question to explore the options, including legal initiatives, in the coming months.

Favourite line

The favourite line of all BJP leaders in Karnataka is “We are not involved in this”. They were, of course, talking about the rebellions in the ruling coalition. But then, every BJP leader is seen hanging around in places that matter, including the Vidhana Soudha and the secretariat. But the larger question that the people are asking is this: what are the BJP leaders doing in these places if they have no role to play in the political crisis?

Former Prime Minister and JD(S) chief H.D Deve Gowda with his son and Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy (L) offer prayers to Goddess Padmavati, in Tiruchanoor, Chittoor district. (PTI)

Footnote

The Deve Gowda family is famous for its temple runs. The number of visits to temples made by each member of the family increases during a crisis and before they formally ascend to any office of power. Leaders from the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance swung into action when a handful of lawmakers resigned — allegedly at the behest of the BJP, which was eyeing power in the only southern state in which it has some clout. But prominent leaders of the alliance in power went temple hopping to seek divine help to save the government.