Gandhi in Delhi, Yadav in Uttar Pradesh, Badal in Punjab, and now Thackeray in Maharashtra – this is not a good time for many political dynasties in the country.
Shiv Sena Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is on the verge of split with his only son Aaditya Thackeray left as minister-MLA. Nine army ministers have already joined the Eknath Shinde-led rebel camp. Nearly 40 of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs are now camping in Guwahati against their government, in a major revolt underlining that the problems lie within.
In the north, Akhilesh Yadav is reeling from one defeat in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022, ever since his father Mulayam Singh Yadav handed him the reins of the chief ministership of Uttar Pradesh. In the latest two Lok Sabha by-elections, Akhilesh did not even campaign and suffered a humiliating defeat. Even his colleagues slammed him for not stepping on the ground.
In Punjab, Sukhbir Badal is facing several upheavals in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022, his party Shiromani Akali Dal is now in oblivion in the state. Parkash Singh Badal’s era as chief minister spanning a decade between 2007 and 2017 seems a long time ago. Akali Dal forfeited its security deposit in the recently held Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election.
The Congress under the Gandhi family has been facing one setback since 2014, barring three state election victories in 2018. The party recorded its worst ever in the recent Uttar Pradesh elections, winning just one seat in the form of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. State in charge. Things were so bad that the Congress decided not to contest the latest two Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh. The party lost its bail in the Delhi Assembly by-elections to Rajinder Nagar as well as Sangrur in Punjab, the two states it ruled.
Voters against dynasty or incompetence?
Is it all a matter of handing over the chair to incompetent sons or a sign of a mature democracy where voters are no longer influenced by dynastic politics and are genuinely angry with it? And are such family-run parties guilty of not building a democratic framework that accommodates the aspirations of other senior leaders like Eknath Shinde?
Prominent political analyst and News18 columnist Badri Narayan says that the mood in the country is against dynasty politics and the BJP’s speech against it has been well received by the people. “Narendra Modi’s call against familyism was liked by the people. There is now a critical consciousness among people against it,” he says.
But could it also be the case that sons lack potential and are therefore being rejected by voters? Narayan says ability has some effect but says it doesn’t Akhilesh Yadav Did a poor job as Chief Minister, especially in the last two years of his tenure.
“The fact is that in the form of a Modi-Yogi pair, there is a bigger force in the state than them. Earlier also there were feelings against dynasty but then the charisma of leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav captured them. The notion of charisma has now taken a back seat as there are other stronger options. People’s trust in Modi is strong,” argues Narayan.
inner resentment
The resentment against the politics of dynasty is visible not only among the public but also within such family-run parties. The Shiv Sena case has exposed this, where tensions have been brewing for a long time, and the apparent promotion of Aaditya Thackeray in matters of governance and Eknath Shinde alleging interference in his important ministries such as the PWD and urban development. The Thackeray family’s strategy of tying up with the Congress and the NCP may have damaged its core base.
In Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party insiders are now grumbling over why Akhilesh Yadav chose his cousin Dharmendra Yadav to contest the Azamgarh Lok Sabha bypoll seat as he was seen as an outsider in the region. . “Akhilesh was trying to make Dharmendra after he lost the last Lok Sabha election from Badaun. Earlier, there was a proposal to make Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav win from Azamgarh.
Such dynastic perceptions contributed to the SP’s defeat from Azamgarh, where a local leader in the BSP’s Guddu Jamali garnered a large number of votes and finished close to third, reducing the SP’s chances. Akhilesh’s unsuccessful experiments of contesting elections in alliance with the Congress in 2017, with the BSP in 2019, and only with smaller parties in 2022, contrary to his father’s record, have all turned into backlash. His uncle Shivpal Yadav disapproves of his strategies. “Everyone knows why we lost this by-election,” says Shivpal.
Despite the party’s strength in Punjab, the political future of Badals seems to be in tatters. religious base, The Badal father-son duo lost in the recent assembly elections, despite Sukhbir Badal quitting the NDA and causing farmer protests against three controversial agriculture laws at the Centre. He was also projected by his father as the party’s CM face in the 2022 assembly elections, and the party suffered a record defeat.
Will other political dynasts of the country take lessons from such experiences and make some reforms? Banerjee in West Bengal and Rao in Telangana may have a lot to think about.
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