Rahul Gandhi picks Wayanad, annoys allies!
The Congress announced its first list of 39 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections, featuring *drumroll* Wayanad as Gandhi’s battleground. CPI General Secretary D Raja responded: “Rahul Gandhi’s stature is such that he should have fought [the polls] from any other seat, directly confronting the BJP”
D Raja has a point. Rahul Gandhi will contest against Annie Raja, whose Communist Party of India is a member of the INDIA-coalition at the national level. Raja says the Congress’ decision in Kerala calls for serious introspection on who they consider as their primary target—the BJP or the Left: “...he is holding the nyay yatra.... Who is denying nyay (justice) to people? It is the ideology of the BJP-RSS combine.” (The Hindu)
Also in Kerala: barring two seats, the opposition party has retained its incumbent MPs. The stage is set for Shashi Tharoor to defend his personal appeal in Thiruvananthapuram against the BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar and CPI’s Pannyan Raveendran. Indian Express reports on why Thiruvananthapuram will be one of the closest-watched threeway battles this season. Manorama has more details on the Congress’ Kerala drama.
In Chattisgarh: OBC leader and former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is back—and in the deep end—fighting from Rajnandgaon, a BJP stronghold since 2014.
Cong-led Karnataka: where the party feels resurgent, sees Deputy CM D K Shivakumar's brother and incumbent MP D K Suresh contesting from Bangalore South. Geetha Shivarajkumar, the wife of Kannada actor Shivarajkumar, will run in Shimoga, the home district of BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa. (The Hindu)
ICYMI: Our State of Play from last week has all the gossip from the BJP’s 195-member hotlist.
Congress draft a manifesto
Earlier this week: a copy of the Congress’ draft manifesto was presented to party president Mallikarjun Kharge. It focuses on job-creation, legal guarantees for MSPs, a pan-India caste census for filling government vacancies, and increasing reservation for the OBC community.
Gig workers: may see social security as a right-based law encompassing pension, disability, and life insurance. The plan is said to be modelled on a law that former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot implemented in the state last year. (Hindustan Times)
Hold your horses: “It is the Congress Working Committee which finalises the manifesto and then it becomes a Congress party document. At the moment, we have completed the work on the draft manifesto," Chidambaram P reminded reporters. (NDTV)
Overall, the manifesto is said to resonate with Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, which focuses on ‘Protecting the Constitution’, besides emphasising economic, social, and political justice. (Mint)
A big Supreme Court ruling on corruption
The context: Back in 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that parliamentarians cannot be prosecuted for accepting bribes to vote or speak in Parliament in a particular manner. The reason: Article 105 of the Constitution offers them immunity.
What happened now: A Constitution Bench led by CJI Chandrachud overturned the ruling, calling the 25-year-old judgement a “grave error.”:
Chief Justice Chandrachud clarified that the offence of bribery was complete the moment the corruption money was accepted. Culpability of the legislator did not depend on whether he actually delivered for the bribe-giver on the floor of the House. “The legislator will face criminal prosecution whether or not he makes a speech or votes in favour of the bribe-giver. The offence of bribery is complete on the acceptance of the money or on the agreement to accept money being concluded,” Chief Justice Chandrachud observed.
The Hindu offers a detailed analysis of the ruling.
Also at the Supreme Court: Last month, the Court delivered a landmark judgement overturning the electoral bonds program (explained in this Big Story)—and ordered the State Bank of India to publish the details of all donations to date—which promises to be greatly embarrassing.
The SBI has predictably asked for more time—until June 30—to complete this “time consuming exercise.” By sheer coincidence, the Lok Sabha elections will be done and dusted by then. Activists point out that donor names and other details of electoral bonds are available in SBI’s Mumbai Branch in sealed cover—as per the bank’s own affidavit (Indian Express)
Odisha: BJP-BJD tough love continues
Remember: The 2024 Odisha Legislative Assembly election is also set to be held this year, shortly after the general elections. Naveen Patnaik-led BJD won 112 seats in the last assembly elections in 2019.
Since 2019: the BJP has been trying to get closer to the Biju Janata Dal, with PM Modi recently calling Naveen Patnaik “a popular CM” and his “friend”. With 12 Lok Sabha seats, the regional party has also found it prudent to retain friendly ties with the Centre to maintain its hold in the state, supporting it on crucial decisions. Regardless of the level of election, when the BJP and BJD were aligned for 11 years, they won nearly half the votes and dominated the state. Indian Express zooms out to present the parties’ tryst with one another.
But, but, but: On Saturday, reports emerged that any seat-sharing deal between the two parties may have reached a stalemate. “There was no discussion in the BJP about an alliance with BJD. People should ask the people who floated the idea of an alliance. We are preparing to fight on all 147 seats in Odisha,” the BJP’s election in-charge Vijaypal Singh Tomar has said. (Hindustan Times)
Meanwhile: The Odisha Congress has adopted a ‘wait and watch’ strategy to capitalise on a situation teetering on the verge of going separate ways.
Revanth Reddy is bowling googlys
Introducing “pedanna”: what Telangana CM Revanth Reddy called ‘big brother’ PM Modi at a public event in the state on March 4 and he didn’t stop there, going so far as to say that he wanted “development [like Gujarat] for Telangana”.
Spot the Double-Standard: Reddy’s Congress party has repeatedly gone after the BJP’s “Gujarat model” for years now. The Telangana CM has been sending mixed signals, earlier retweeting a post of PM Modi visiting a temple in Telangana. He is also seen smiling ear-to-ear after signing an investment pact with the Adani group of companies—which his parent party terms as crony capitalists. South First presents the Congress’ confusion in dealing with the CM.
In his defense: Reddy has repeatedly clarified that he only sought the PM’s cooperation in the interest of Telangana’s development. Rejecting claims that he had obsessively praised PM Modi, he said that he had urged the PM to fund projects in Telangana as he did for Gujarat. (The Hindu)
Meanwhile, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh: is also hosting Assembly elections this year. The TDP, Jana Sena Party, and BJP have sealed their alliance to contest both elections together. (Indian Express)
A list of good reads
One: Election Commissioner Arun Goel has resigned, just as the EC prepares to announce poll dates. It leaves the ECI with just one member—Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. Indian Express has a sharp profile on Goel—whose appointment and resignation has raised eyebrows in equal measure.
Two: In line with today’s Decode, data scientist Nilakantan RS finds no correlation between economic growth and ‘double-engine’ governments. In fact, states governed by a different political party at the state level perform slightly better.
Three: As the SBI claims it would take months for it to match the buyer of the bonds with beneficiary parties, this superb exposè by Reporters Collective shows instances where the SBI “raced to provide data on electoral bonds to the government in the shortest possible time, sometimes in merely 48 hours.”
Four: For decades, migrants from UP, Bihar, and Odisha have sought work at production units owned by Tamils in Tirupur, India’s “knitwear capital”. The Print reports how some of these migrants have built themselves into “self-made entrepreneurs”, running their own micro and small textile units. The state’s “progressive work culture and lack of home-grown labourers” has helped. PM Modi’s visit last week is a sign of the town’s growing importance to the BJP’s national campaign.
Five: The Congress’ draft manifesto presents a legal right for every diploma holder or college graduate under 25 to demand “proper formal employment for a year”, similar to MNREGA. This interview with manifesto committee member Praveen Chakravarti has details on the draft’s intent. (Indian Express, paywalled)
