A level playing field has been created in national politics by the voters of Bihar. Sunday, 8 November 2015 will be remembered for ushering in the anti-BJP movement. The new era of anti-BJP-ism will be a turning point that will take the debate over secular-communal to a new level and we can expect to see Parliament, particularly the Rajya Sabha re-energized. Congress leader AK Antony thinks this is the turning point in national politics and the results of Bihar is “beginning of the end” of Bharatiya Janata Party’s unrestricted rise since 2014 - with the aberration of the Delhi assembly poll defeat. Watch Bihar Election Results Part 2: Editors' Take Significantly, the big blow to the government by the scrapping of the NJAC has reset the balance of power between the judiciary and the legislature also. Now, the defeat in Bihar will make things difficult on the floor of the House when Parliament meets later this month. In the short term, the BJP will face difficulties in running Parliament. The defeat of the NDA and the win of the Grand Alliance will reflect in the coming winter session of Parliament. Prakash Jawdekar, minister of environment was jokingly saying on the eve of counting of votes that “the impact of Bihar will be that the winter session of Parliament will not be allowed to function if the Grand Alliance wins.” on the issues of environment, labour laws, land and GST, the government will have to look to form a consensus which will be hard to come by. Watch Bihar Election Results Part 1: Early Analysis -Grand Alliance Ahead Of NDA He may prove to be right because anti-BJP forces now have a better idea of the trajectory to fight the might of the BJP and the RSS. In the long term it will face challenges of the nascent anti-BJP movement. To negotiate its way against a robust opposition, it will be forced to limit its plans of right-wing economic policies. The edge the BJP enjoyed after winning handsomely in the 2014 Lok Sabha election will be blunted somewhat because winning or losing elections in the Hindi belt is altogether a different game. It carries different dynamics in New Delhi's politics. Modi’s 'Ashwamegha’ has been stopped in its fast track by Luv and Kush ( Nitish and Lalu) of Bihar and that will make NDA sweat in Parliament. The Bihar defeat will not change anything immediately within the government or the party because no stable government with a mandate of five years takes decision from a position of weakness when they have more than 40 months to rule. However, it will certainly lend huge credibility to the anti-BJP parties inside and outside Parliament. Bihar is done with, over to Parliament, now. To read in Hindi, click here
