From the Urdu Press: ‘Could Nitish checkmate BJP, Chirag?’, ‘Mahagathbandhan fiasco derails Rahul-Tejashwi Yatra’

Flagging the rumblings within the NDA over its chief ministerial face, the Hyderabad-based Siasat, in its October 19 editorial, says that while the ruling coalition, led by the BJP and the JD(U), have sealed their seat-sharing pact, a power struggle has already started with questions being raised about the incumbent CM Nitish Kumar’s position after the polls. “It seems attempts are being made to corner Nitish, with his senior partner BJP along with other allies shying away from declaring him as their CM candidate in the event of the NDA’s victory,” it says. In sharp contrast, in the past elections the NDA had always projected Nitish as its CM candidate well in advance, the edit says, noting that things have changed now.

The daily refers to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s recent remarks that while the NDA is contesting the elections under Nitish’s leadership, a decision on the new CM will be taken by NDA legislators after the polls. It points out that LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Union Minister Chirag Paswan has echoed Shah’s line, saying it is a “standard procedure” that all the alliance legislators would together decide the CM if the NDA returns to power. “The BJP and Chirag have thus mounted attempts to sideline Nitish,” it states, adding that the BJP is again likely to bag more seats than the JD(U) in the polls.

“Nitish is now caught in a Catch-22 situation,” the edit says, underlining that the BJP has agreed to make him the leader of the NDA alliance due to its “political compulsion”. “Nitish cannot even cross over to the Mahagathbandhan at this stage,” it says, adding that what remains to be seen is whether Nitish could checkmate the BJP and Chirag’s moves.

URDU TIMES

Referring to the Mahagathbandhan’s failure to hammer out a seat-sharing arrangement for the Bihar polls till the deadline for filing of nominations, the Mumbai-based Urdu Times, in its October 20 leader, says that while discontent has erupted in the major constituents of both the ruling NDA and the Opposition alliance, it has pushed the latter to the brink. The editorial mentions the theatrics of an RJD leader who, upon being denied a ticket, broke down, tore off his kurta and rolled down the street outside Lalu Prasad’s residence in Patna, accusing the party leaders of “selling” genuine workers like him. Similarly, the edit notes, a sitting Congress MLA, who was replaced by another candidate, posted a video alleging that senior party leaders had sold tickets in lieu of money.

The daily says the Mahagathbandhan or INDIA bloc seems to have lost the plot in ensuring proper allocation of tickets among its allies and their candidates. “This has undermined the atmosphere that was built in favour of the INDIA alliance by the Voter Adhikar Yatra undertaken by Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav across Bihar,” it states. Amid anti-incumbency against the Nitish-led NDA government, people seem to be “yearning for change”, the edit says. “The INDIA bloc should have capitalised on it to oust the NDA from power, but is now tottering itself due to hubris.”

While the NDA also faces an uphill task in its bid to return to power, with the equations between the BJP and Nitish turning “fraught”, the INDIA bloc is in disarray now, the editorial says, adding that its Jharkhand ally, the Hemant Soren-led JMM, is also upset after being denied any space in the bloc’s seat-sharing negotiations.

SIASAT

Commenting on the Israeli strikes on Gaza killing several people just days after the Israel-Hamas truce came into force, Siasat, in its October 21 editorial, says that the development highlights the fragility of the ceasefire. The deal had been signed at a peace summit organised at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt, in the presence of US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.

While accusing Hamas of ceasefire violation and piling pressure on it to disarm, Israel has launched a series of attacks across Gaza, even resorting to aain halting the humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave, the edit says. “It is evident that the truce would essentially be dependent on Israel’s intent. It can resume strikes on Gaza at will, putting the future of the ceasefire in jeopardy.”

The daily points out that keeping its end of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Hamas has returned all the living hostages and the bodies of several of the deceased ones to Israel. “It is incumbent on President Trump and other world leaders to rein in Israel and stop its attacks on Gaza in order to bring the ceasefire back on track, which should not be just an instrument to reinforce the latter’s interest,” it says.

Palestinians have suffered a humanitarian catastrophe during the two years of Israel’s war in Gaza, which has been called a “genocide”, says the editorial. Their towns have been flattened by bombardment with their neighbourhoods reduced to rubble, it notes. “If Palestinians still become the target of another brutal war, it will be disgraceful for the entire world.”