BJP's alliance strategy: Where it is gaining and where it is not
Exit polls have thrown up an interesting phenomenon: the BJP can do better without many of its allies. The party had set an ambitious 400-seat goal for the National Democratic alliance it leads. To chase that goal, and to outcompete the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, it made a lot of effort to stitch alliances in Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka and Andhra. Exit polls show that most of the BJP's allies, except in Andhra Pradesh, have only weighed the party down. And it appears to be doing well on its own in states where it ditched its old allies such as the Akalis in Punjab and the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu.
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The important takeaway is that the BJP could be emerging as a bigger national party by penetrating in pockets where it had little influence of its own. Going forward, it's possible that the BJP chooses to ally with many smaller parties instead of the big ones in states.
Bihar
During the election campaign, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had questioned the absence of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar from the BJP's election rallies in the state. The former deputy chief minister made the remark while referring to the absence of Kumar, the JD(U) president, from rallies addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Gaya and Purnea.
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