Amid Opposition's bid for unity, BJP to flaunt its allies

The Bharatiya Janata Party is looking to present a show of strength of its alliance at a time many opposition parties have joined hands in their bid to take on the ruling party unitedly in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP sources said a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance is expected to take place soon to highlight its growing strength and to dispel the impression that the departure of some of its oldest allies such as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Janata Dal-United have the left the saffron party without a major partner.

Any reshuffle of the Union Cabinet, the buzz around which has grown, is likely to feature the allies the BJP has acquired of late.

As of now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council of Ministers has three members from allies as ministers. While Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party's Pashupati Kumar Paras is the lone cabinet member, Apna Dal's Anupriya Patel and Republican Party of India's Ramdas Athawale are ministers of state.

The BJP had recently got signatures of the leaders of 13 parties in a statement criticising the Congress and other opposition parties for their boycott of the inauguration of the new building of Parliament.

The signatories included Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Edappadi K Palaniswami, besides those representing parties in power in northeastern states.

Shinde, sources said, met senior BJP leaders late Thursday night during a brief visit to the national capital.

There is no clarity on what was on the agenda but it is believed that the likely reshuffle in the Union Cabinet and the much-awaited expansion of the Maharashtra Cabinet were discussed.

The BJP is also working overtime to win over smaller parties from the Rashtriya Janata Dal-JD(U) camp in Bihar to underscore its strength in a state where its rivals also boast of a formidable social equation.

Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who has quit the JD-U to float his party once again, and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose son recently resigned as minister from the state government, have met the BJP national leadership, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, in indications of their changed affiliations.

The BJP is also eying the return of LJP-Ram Vilas leader Chirag Paswan, who is being seen as the political heir to his father and stalwart Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan, to its alliance.

With the ruling party holding some key organisational meetings next month, its attention is expected to turn to bringing together its allies to send out a message to counter the Opposition.

Drawing the battle lines, opposition parties had in a meeting in Patna on June 23 resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.