Tridib Raman
The Congress party, one of the oldest political parties in the country, is now set to bid farewell to its four-decade-old headquarters at 24 Akbar Road and shift to its new headquarters at 9A Kotla Road. It is noteworthy that this is the same Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Marg where the BJP has already shifted to its grand office, but Congress has chosen Kotla Road instead of Deendayal Marg, which is a parallel road on the other side.There is already a buzz that the BJP-led government is eyeing 24 Akbar Road, hinting, “Vacate the premises for new occupants.” Yet Congress is determined to retain possession of this historic bungalow and may even approach the courts if necessary. Congress argues that when the BJP moved its headquarters from 11 Ashoka Road to Deendayal Upadhyay Marg, it neither relinquished its claim over 11 Ashoka Road nor did it vacate the adjacent 9 Ashoka Road, which was once the bungalow of the late BJP leader Arun Jaitley, who had handed it over for party work. Senior leaders of the RSS used to stay at 9 Ashoka Road when they visited Delhi. Today, the BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya’s team carries out its sensational operations from this bungalow. Congress is also not in the mood to vacate its bungalow at 5 Raisina Road in New Delhi, where its ‘Youth Wing’ office is currently located. Incidentally, 9 Ashoka Road, which was once a temporary abode for hardcore RSS leaders, now has five-star arrangements for these leaders in the BJP’s new headquarters. Single rooms have been made in the outer wing, where they can stay as long as they want. This has also provided relief to many BJP MPs coming from UP, as the RSS leaders had made their bases in a part of the bungalows and flats allotted to them.
Supreme Court Takes a Break
Tridib Raman
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna seems genuinely concerned about the increasing workload on his fellow judges. He proposed to his 25 fellow judges in the Supreme Court that ‘to get rid of the stress arising from daily work, they should go on at least a two-day vacation with their families.’ The fellow judges agreed, and the chosen destination was Visakhapatnam. It was also decided that ‘all judges will go on this tour at their own expense and bear all the costs of the vacation themselves.’ Only Justice A S Oka expressed his inability to join, while the rest of the judges decided to go along with the Chief Justice’s unique idea. Justice Khanna also likes to spend time with his family. For many years, he has maintained a tradition of hosting an annual lunch for his relatives at his residence. This gathering allows him to reconnect with all family members and ensures that the relationships remain vibrant and fresh.
Women Judges in the Supreme Court
Tridib Raman
There are still two vacant positions for judges in the Supreme Court. One of these positions became vacant due to the retirement of the 8th woman judge of the Supreme Court, Hima Kohli. It is said that at the time of her retirement, Justice Kohli had requested the then Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that ‘a woman judge should be appointed to the position she is vacating.’ It is said that the central government also fully agrees with Justice Kohli’s idea, so the name of Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal is being considered as the first choice of the Centre. However, according to sources, there is currently no complete consensus on Justice Sunita’s name in the collegium. So, one more point has come to light that there should be representation from Jammu and Kashmir in the Supreme Court. Speaking of the central government’s preference, the name of Andhra Pradesh Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur is also being mentioned in this context.
Where Will Rajiv Kumar Go?
Tridib Raman
The Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajiv Kumar, might see the Delhi Assembly elections as his last, as he is set to retire on February 18. He has already publicly expressed his desire to retreat to the Himalayas after retirement. However, regardless of the service he rendered to the current government, he must have expected some form of reward in return. Meanwhile, the process of appointing a new Chief Election Commissioner in his place has become entangled in fresh complications. An NGO, ADR, and Congress leader Jaya Thakur have filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India from the process of appointing the Election Commissioner, which is yet to be heard. It is noteworthy that, on March 2, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners would be conducted by a three-member panel consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India. However, on December 21, 2023, the central government passed a new bill stipulating that a Union minister nominated by the government would replace the Chief Justice in this panel. The Supreme Court now seeks to understand what prompted the government to introduce such a bill. This matter is scheduled for hearing on February 4.
BJP’s Sleeper Cell in Congress
Tridib Raman
BJP has made the Delhi Assembly elections a prestige battle. Although BJP has been out of power in Delhi for many years, since 2013, which can be considered the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), BJP has consistently consolidated its dedicated voters. In 2013, Bharatiya Janata Party received about 33% of the total votes, and despite many elections since then, the BJP’s vote percentage has not declined, even though these votes did not translate into seats. On the other hand, Congress’s vote share in Delhi was around 25% in 2013, which fell to 9.5% in 2015, and it is now believed to have dropped to around 4%. It is said that these Congress votes have merged with the AAP, which is why the Aam Aadmi Party’s vote share has increased from 29% in 2013 to 50% today. Therefore, BJP strategists are trying to revive Congress in Delhi so that its vote percentage increases, which would harm the AAP. This is perhaps why many established Congress leaders in Delhi are speaking in favour of BJP. It is said that the BJP is also providing them with financial support so that Congress candidates can contest elections strongly and secure good votes, thereby diminishing the chances of AAP candidates winning. It is noteworthy that this time BJP is betting heavily on Purvanchali voters in Delhi, who are estimated to constitute about 40% of the vote. The second-largest group is Punjabi voters, with a 20% share, who are traditional BJP voters. The third-largest group is the Jat-Gurjar community, with 12% of the votes. There is already a tussle between AAP and BJP over Dalit votes. Sensing the opportunity, the BJP is betting on Congress leaders. Rahul Gandhi himself does not want his party leaders to only target Kejriwal and remain silent on the BJP. Sources say that recently Rahul himself called Ajay Maken to stop him from holding a press conference in which Maken was allegedly going to make serious allegations against Kejriwal.
Shoes, Cash, and More in Delhi’s “Issue-Less” Election!
Delhi is gearing up to vote on February 5, and political parties are pulling out all the stops to woo voters. However, this election seems to be ‘issue-less’ so far, with discussions limited to non-essential topics like ‘AAP-DA’, ‘Sheesh Mahal vs. Raj Mahal’, ‘Purvanchali Sanman’, and ‘Jat Reservation’. Important issues like inflation, unemployment, and pollution are missing from the main agendas of the parties. Thus, the season of free handouts is in full swing. A BJP leader in New Delhi, previously seen handing out envelopes with ₹1100 to women, is now distributing free blankets to voters. Another leader is giving away free eyeglasses. The most striking case is that of a BJP councilor from Shahdara, a strong contender in the elections, who is giving away free shoes. Incidentally, he owns a large shoe showroom in his constituency. His call to action is: “Come and get free shoes that fit you this winter!” When journalists caught wind of this, they went to investigate his showroom. The leader’s cleverness became apparent when he gifted free shoes to the journalists as well. Some journalists even brought their family members to the BJP leader’s showroom after this incident, and needless to say, the leader welcomed their entire families with free shoes.
