Sunil Gatade | An ‘A to Z’ guide to India’s politics in the year gone by

A is also for Dr B.R. Ambedkar. As the year rings out, there was a huge controversy over a remark by Amit Shah on the architect of the Constitution.

“B” is for the BJP, which remained its aggressive best despite failing to get a Lok Sabha majority, damaging Brand Modi. Its Haryana and Maharashtra victories, which left its opponents perplexed, brought it back into the political game with a bang.

“C” stands for the Congress. It was a rollercoaster ride for the party and its leader, Rahul Gandhi, who nearly made a century in the Lok Sabha polls, becoming Leader of the Opposition. By the yearend, it was a different story as allies started questioning his leadership after he lost crucial states.

“D” undoubtedly stands for Jagdeep Dhankhar, Rajya Sabha Chairman, who the Opposition felt was the main “disruptor”. He has the dubious distinction of being the first vice-president against whom a no-trust motion was initiated.

“E” is for the Election Commission, which failed to cover itself with glory in the Lok Sabha and some state polls. EVMs were sought to be made the manipulated machine by the Opposition.

“F” stands for Fadnavis. The fall and rise of the BJP leader as the new Maharashtra CM surprised friends and foes alike and could have repercussions far beyond.

“G” is for George Soros and his alleged links with the Congress, who was targeted by the BJP, which was facing flak over the Adani issue.

“H” is for Haryana, where the Assembly election changed the mood in the ruling BJP after an unexpected hat-trick in power.

“I” is for the INDIA bloc. From the “United We Stand” position before the Lok Sabha polls, the INDIA bloc looked rudderless by the year-end, with Mamata Banerjee pitching herself for the alliance leadership.

“J” -- Former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, whose tenure ended recently, was the most controversial of judges in the year gone by for his actions and inactions. Jagan Mohan Reddy lost power in Andhra Pradesh.

“K” is for Arvind Kejriwal, the former Delhi CM jailed over the alleged excise scam, who faces the most ticklish Assembly poll in the New Year.

“L” is for lieutenant-governors (Delhi and J&K). New rules give them more powers ahead of Assembly elections, including over key appointments and services, which the Opposition says won’t be good for democracy. In J&K, the BJP, which made a huge issue over Article 370’s scrapping, failed to get a single seat in the Kashmir Valley.

“M” is undoubtedly for (Narendra) Modi. After the Lok Sabha setback, the PM looked off colour. But the Maharashtra and Haryana verdicts saw him back as the “monarch of all I survey”.

M is also for Manipur, which was on the boil for a second year. The PM faced attacks for not visiting the northeastern state.

M is also for Madhavi Puri Buch, the controversial Sebi chief who faced attacks for allegedly shielding Gautam Adani.

“N” is for Nitish Kumar and N. Chandrababu Naidu, who became the PM’s obedient crutches after he failed to get a majority. They dashed the hopes of Modi detractors as they seemed to be chanting: “Dal roti khao, Prabhu ke gun gao”.

“O” is for Om Birla, the controversial Lok Sabha Speaker, who was handpicked by Mr Modi to continue running the Lower House. The Opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Rajya Sabha Chairman seems to have unnerved him a bit.

O is also for Odisha: Navin Patnaik, in power for 25-odd years in the state, lost power to the BJP, mainly because he depended upon a controversial bureaucrat.

“P” for (Sharad) Pawar meant power, but this Maratha strongman was upstaged by estranged nephew Ajit Pawar on his home turf of Maharashtra, backed by the BJP, which made mincemeat of the Opposition.

“Q” -- The way the powers that be defended Adani was a reminder of the kid-glove treatment meted out to controversial Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi by the Congress four decades ago.

“R” -- Rajasthan saw the end of the Ashok Gehlot era in 2024 as the Congress was defeated at the end of 2023. The BJP made greenhorn Bhajan Lal Sharma the chief minister, sidelining veteran leader Vasundhara Raje.

“S” Sambhal in UP became the latest flashpoint in politics over the “digging” of masjids in a state that had seen the demolition of the Babri Masjid way back in December 1992.

S also stands for Eknath Shinde, the brand created by the BJP to pull down Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra. The year saw the CM becoming deputy CM to Devendra Fadnavis, who was his deputy earlier.

S could also be remembered for Samvidhan as the Lok Sabha polls saw the Opposition make capital of the BJP’s slogan “Ab ki baar, 400 paar”, contending that it meant the rulers wanted to dump the Constitution.

“T” is for Telangana, which saw the exit of the ambitious K. Chandarsekhar Rao of TRS from power with the emergence of the Congress under Revanth Reddy. Politics in the southern state is becoming a Congress versus BJP affair.

“U” is for Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Tamil Nadu minister and son of DMK chief M.K. Stalin, who was made the state’s deputy CM, ending days of speculation over the move.

“V” is for Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, with growing talk in Opposition circles that the V-P was targeting them as he wanted to become the next President, with that election over two years away.

“W” is for Kerala’s Wayanad, which elected Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to the Lok Sabha in the seat vacated by her brother.

“X” – The owner of X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk, the world’s richest entrepreneur and also Tesla chief, was to visit India during the year and have discussions with the PM. He cancelled the visit at the 11th hour, that was seen in economic circles as a setback to Mr Modi.

“Y” is for Yogi Adityanath, UP’s chief minister, who showed his nuisance power in the Lok Sabha polls to the BJP top brass. His controversial “Batenge to Katenge” slogan turned out to be the political hit of the year gone by.

“Z” is the zigzag way the year saw. The BJP fell short of a Lok Sabha majority, raising the Opposition’s hopes. But the Haryana and Maharashtra electoral verdicts sprang a surprise on them. The New Year will have Assembly polls in Delhi and later in Bihar.