In the midst of an ongoing tussle over the chief minister’s chair in Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar has delivered a pointed reminder about the importance of keeping one’s word — a remark widely interpreted as a signal to the party high command.

Shivakumar stresses value of commitment

Speaking at an event, Shivakumar said that “word power is world power”, emphasising that honouring commitments is among the “biggest powers” anyone can exercise. His comments come at a moment when debates over a possible rotational chief ministership are intensifying.

While addressing supporters, he also made a lighthearted but sharp remark involving the symbolic “chair”, saying those standing behind him “don’t know the value of a chair”, prompting laughter at the venue.

Leadership tussle resurfaces

Shivakumar and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah have been locked in a prolonged leadership contention since the Congress victory in 2023. Shivakumar’s camp insists the party had agreed to a two-and-a-half-year rotational arrangement — a claim Siddaramaiah’s side denies.

Over the past two weeks, MLAs from Shivakumar’s faction have been making multiple visits to Delhi, fuelling speculation that a leadership change may be imminent. According to information accessed by media, December 1 is being viewed as a possible deadline for any power transition.

High command to take final call

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge has said the leadership is working to resolve the standoff. He noted that he, along with Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, will decide on the matter.

Siddaramaiah has publicly reiterated that the decision must come from the high command. Shivakumar, too, has stated that he has not demanded the top post and does not want to embarrass the party, saying leadership matters involve “five or six” senior figures.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has moved swiftly from its sweeping victory in Bihar to preparing for its next major battle — the West Bengal Assembly election scheduled for March-April next year. According to information shared with media, the party is recalibrating its approach with an emphasis on undermining the Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) ground-level strength rather than relying on high-profile defections.

BJP targets TMC’s grassroots to counter Mamata Banerjee

With plans to challenge Mamata Banerjee once again, the BJP intends to concentrate on Trinamool cadres who are not firmly aligned with Abhishek Banerjee. The party believes this segment could be susceptible to shifting loyalties and may help weaken the ruling party’s booth-level reach.

Even as the BJP prepares to question ‘dynastic politics’ in Bengal by highlighting Abhishek Banerjee’s prominence, the broader strategy remains rooted in boosting its cadre-based presence rather than replicating the pre-2021 influx of TMC defectors.

No major push for turncoats this time

Before the 2021 Assembly polls, the BJP had brought in several senior Trinamool leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, who went on to defeat Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. But party leaders now believe more defections will not significantly impact vote share. Instead, inducting grassroots workers is seen as a safer, more effective alternative that won’t create internal friction among BJP’s existing leadership ranks.

Caste arithmetic replaced with regional, religious balance

The BJP’s sweeping performance in Bihar was built on a carefully planned caste matrix. However, Bengal’s political landscape differs considerably, with caste playing a limited role. The party is expected to focus on regional dynamics and religious polarisation instead.

While Muslim voters constitute roughly 30% of the state’s population, their electoral influence is concentrated in a limited number of seats. The BJP hopes that Hindu consolidation in other regions could give it a competitive advantage.

‘Outsider’ narrative likely to intensify

The BJP is expected to continue pressing its charge that illegal migration from Bangladesh has altered electoral patterns in the state. Meanwhile, the Trinamool has long branded the BJP as an ‘outsider’ force. This narrative battle is expected to shape much of the campaign.

BJP eyes 160-170 seats, plans careful candidate selection

Over the last two Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has crossed the 100-seat mark in total seats won across Bengal. The party now aims to convert this base into a larger Assembly footprint, targeting 160–170 seats. For this, candidate selection will be critical — an area where the leadership wants to avoid the issues that arose after the wave of defections in 2021.

Strong presence in north and south Bengal

The BJP continues to hold strong ground in north and south Bengal, regions where it has consistently gained vote share. Its best performance so far came in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when it secured 18 seats with over 40% vote share. However, the party recently witnessed a decline after losing six of its 12 seats in the latest national election.

To surpass the Trinamool’s peak vote share of around 48%, the BJP will need to secure an additional six per cent of votes — a challenge that will heavily test its organisational strength in the months leading to the election.

Nitish Kumar officially began his tenth term as Chief Minister of Bihar on Thursday, marking a historic milestone in state politics and setting the stage for what could become the longest chief ministerial tenure in independent India.

His party, the Janata Dal (United), secured a strong mandate in the recent Assembly election, winning 85 out of 243 seats and leading the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to a decisive victory with 202 seats alongside the BJP.

BJP secures maximum berths in new cabinet

A total of 19 MLAs took oath with Nitish Kumar, forming the initial core of the new cabinet. With 89 seats, the BJP narrowly maintained its upper hand within the alliance and will hold 10 ministerial positions. The JDU will have six representatives.

Smaller allies — Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha, and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Manch — are also set to secure cabinet berths, with indications that the LJP may be offered a second seat owing to its performance.

A step toward a historic milestone

Nitish Kumar already ranks among India’s longest-serving chief ministers. If he completes this term, he will surpass former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s 24-year tenure to become the longest-serving Chief Minister in the country’s history.