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Five political dramas that will unfold in 2015

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Aditya Menon
Aditya MenonJan 02, 2015 | 16:28

Five political dramas that will unfold in 2015

1. Modi Mania

He grins down at you from a massive poster as you come out of your home; he stares at you in the Delhi Metro; turn on your radio and you hear his voice; he dominates prime time news and even the advertisements in between your favourite soap opera - Narendra Modi is everywhere. Expect to see and hear much more of the prime minister this year as he introduces more new days to celebrate and shares with his Mann ki Baat. And, when he meets US president Barack Obama later this month, watch out for who clicks the first selfie!

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2. Mufflerman Versus Modi's Machinery

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A Mufflerman graphic being circulated by AAP suporters

Despite winning Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand and doing extremely well in Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP is still apprehensive about going to polls in the capital. Standing between BJP and victory is a man in a muffler: Arvind Kejriwal. The BJP has already started a shrill campaign personally attacking Kejriwal with posters saying "Jisne diya hai Dilli ko dhokha, nahi denge usko mauka" and radio ads calling him a "naakaam aadmi". But for every two BJP posters, there is a Kejriwal poster promising free water supply, cheaper electricity or CCTVs for women's safety. Apparently, the BJP is planning to delay the elections until February, when the winter is less severe. Their hope is that the muffler would be off and Kejriwal would be vulnerable.

3. Nitish and Lalu Unite to Save Secularism in Bihar

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Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad hug it out.

From JP Dutta's Batwara to Subhash Ghai's Saudagar, the tale of friends becoming foes and then reuniting to fight a larger enemy has been a staple in Bollywood. This will be played out this year in Bihar as Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar shed two decades of enmity to try and stop the BJP juggernaut in the state in the Assembly elections due in October-November 2015. Of course, such a reunion won't be smooth. After years of attacking Lalu's Jungle Raj, Nitish can't suddenly begin singing "Iss jungle me hum do sher" Saudagar style. But the duo seem to have got their chemistry right, if the December 22 protest at Jantar Mantar is any indication. While Nitish attacked BJP on governance-related issues like black money, Lalu played the robust defender of secularism by lampooning Modi and the Sangh in his trademark style.

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4. The Amit Shah-Mamata Banerjee Duel

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee began the new year by joining Twitter. Her party has been the favourite punching bag of BJP's army on Twitter so Mamata decided to do what she does best: take the fight to her opponents' doorstep. Being a troll-baiter on Twitter would hardly be a challenge for Mamata, who has fought Left Front goons on the streets for decades. Her opponent this time on isn't the Left Front but BJP president Amit Shah, who has promised he would uproot the Trinamool Congress from West Bengal in the Assembly elections in the summer of 2016. If the acrimony of the past few months is any indication, the battle will be fought everywhere: on the streets, in Parliament and on Twitter.  

5. Will the Congress Wake Up?

Congress is only a marginal player in the two states going to the polls this year: Bihar and Delhi. Therefore, the real changes in the Congress will be internal. According to reports, the party has junked Rahul Gandhi's internal democracy plan and is instead concentrating more on maintaining its internal cohesion. This make sense as the party cannot afford internal disunity at a time when even its status as the principal opposition in the country, at least in terms of perception, is being threatened by entities like the Janata Parivar, the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. The party's actions or the lack of them, in 2015, will determine whether the Congress can resurrect itself as a challenge to the BJP or enter into a phase of rapid decay.

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Last updated: January 02, 2015 | 16:28
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