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The Week Ahead: A challenge for Congress; campaigning for Bengal assembly seats begins
Monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature will see a crucial bill to ban online gambling and wagering; while Assam is set to resume physical classes for Standard 10
A week is a long time in politics. Scratch that; two days are a long time in politics. Ask the Punjab political establishment. Captain Amarinder Singh, chief minister and, until a few months ago, someone who was seemingly strong despite the frequent and fervent attacks by fellow Congressman Navjot Singh Sidhu, had to quit his post. This week will see the installation of Charanjit Singh Channi as the state’s first Dalit-Sikh chief minister. The 58-year-old three-time MLA from Chamkaur Sahib was a surprise choice, and given the complexities of Punjab politics, a relative unknown on the national stage. It will be interesting to see who he appoints to his cabinet. Will the Captain’s ministers return? Or, as it happened in Gujarat with BJP’s new chief minister, will the old guard be completely sidelined?
The Congress will definitely be tested this week, and developments in other Congress-governed states, too, will be closely watched by political observers.
Others states too have an action-packed week ahead.
The Monsoon session of the Karnataka legislature will see a crucial bill to ban online gambling and wagering. It is most likely to be passed during this session itself. A bill for delimitation and reservations to be transferred from the state election commission to the government will be put forward in the Karnataka High Court on Monday.
Veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa is slated to hold discussions with the party’s state unit over the 78-year-olds state-wide travel plans ahead of the 2023 assembly election.
Panchamasali, the biggest sub sect within the Lingayats, had given a deadline to the government over change of reservation. The group has threatened to revive its agitation from October 1.
In West Bengal, the campaign for the much-anticipated Jangipur and Samserganj assembly seats starts on Monday, and the polls are to be held on September 30.
Assam said it will resume physical classes for Standard 10 from Monday after a gap of four months. The state government had earlier allowed resumption of classes for final year students of graduation, post-graduation and higher-secondary from the first week of this month.
Union minister and former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal will file nomination papers as BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha seat from Assam on September 21. One RS seat is vacant following the resignation of Biswajit Daimary, who is now a BJP MLA and the Speaker of state assembly. Sonowal, who represents Majuli assembly seat, is expected to win easily as Congress has decided not to field any candidate due to shortage of numbers.
In Rajasthan, too, regular school classes of VI to VIII standard students will resume from September 20 and that of Class I to V from September 27 in government and private schools, as per the fresh guidelines issued by the Rajasthan government on Friday. The classes can be conducted with 50% capacity
In Tamil Nadu, candidates will be filing their nominations — the last date being September 22 – for the local body elections schedule for October 6 and 9. The local polls will be conducted in newly carved nine district in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile the new Governor for the state, RN Ravi was sworn in on Saturday.
In Chhattisgarh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Bastar and northern Chhattisgarh this week amid speculation over change of chief minister Bupesh Baghel. The speculation intensified after Punjab CM Amarinder Singh was asked to resign.
In Kerala, the state’s sero prevalence study is expected by next week. Since schools are opening, the government asked concerned bodies to submit its report. The government plans to call an all-party meeting on September 24 in the wake of wars of words triggered after the Pala Bishop’s narcotics jihad statement.
