JDU’s empty ministerial berths signal its efforts to poach fence sitter MLAs and improve its tally post polls?

JD(U) is moving swiftly to chip away at the BJP’s numerical edge by engineering post-poll accretion from smaller parties and independents. With the NDA already comfortably past the majority mark, Nitish Kumar’s focus has clearly shifted from stability to stature, aiming to bring JD(U)’s tally at par with – or even above – the BJP’s 89 seats. JD(U) has deliberately kept multiple ministerial berths vacant in anticipation of fresh entrants, signalling an open offer of power-sharing to BSP MLA IP Gupta, AIMIM legislators and select Congress MLAs who have begun gravitating towards the chief minister. By converting these fence-sitters into cabinet-backed JD(U) MLAs, Nitish Kumar can not only narrow the numerical gap with the BJP but also reassert his “big brother” status inside the NDA despite the saffron party’s larger strike rate in the election.

Why is TN CM not participating in Kashi- Tamil Sangamam?

The Education Ministry has been organising Kashi- Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi since 2021 but M K Stalin, CM of Tamil Nadu, has never participated in it. According to Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, he personally wrote a letter to the CM of TN, but he did not respond. Due to their parochial political interests, a few friends from Tamil Nadu want to create division on the plea of language, he said.  R N Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu is attending the event. As per Pradhan, this is a cultural function aimed at promoting Tamil language in the heartland. This year the theme of the Sangamam is Tamil Karakalam- learn Tamil.