BJP tightens its belt for 2024 Lok Sabha polls: New alliances on the cards

With just eight months left for the Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is marching ahead with the preparations for polls. The BJP has already changed party unit heads in states where assembly polls are due later this year and a reshuffle of Cabinet is on the cards. Also, all eyes are on the July 18 meeting of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in which some big announcements, including about new allies, could be made. If reports are to be believed former allies Sukhbir Badal's SAD, Chirag Paswan's LJP and TDP are likely to attend. National Democratic Alliance seats in Rajya Sabha are currently 109.

Ahead of the big meeting, here's a look at the list of parties that have left the NDA since 2014:

Telugu Desam Party (TDP): The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in March 2016 withdrew support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's coalition government over special status and financial assistance to his state - a long-withstanding demand as promised after Telangana was carved out of it in 2014 and was the basis of the alliance. Even though the then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had promised the state funds equivalent to what a special category state gets, an unhappy Naidu ended his alliance with the NDA.

ALSO READ: BJP's ex-allies SAD, TDP chiefs may attend big NDA meet in Delhi on July 18

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray): The Uddhav Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2019 and joined hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to form a government in Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena while walking out of the alliance had alleged that the BJP didn't honour its promise that was made by then BJP president Amit Shah - i.e. a 50:50 formula. The Shiv Sena has claimed that the two parties had agreed on a rotational chief ministership - the BJP and Shiv Sena each will have a chief minister for 2.5 years in Maharashtra. A claim which was vehemently refuted by the BJP. Rather BJP said that the 50:50 formula was for the Cabinet allocation.

Janata Dal United (JDU): Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar ended his alliance with the BJP in Bihar. JD(U) had come back to alliance with the BJP and became a NDA member in 2005. Kumar’s party had come to power along with the BJP and he again became the CM in 2010. In 2020, he took oath as the Bihar CM for the seventh time with the support of the BJP after ending alliance with RJD and Congress. The party is now part of mahagathbandhan of 19 parties. 

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD): The Punjab-based regional party, BJP’s oldest alliance partner, walked out of the NDA alliance over the three Farm Laws. However, on Thursday, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal held a meeting of his party's district presidents amid a buzz in political circles that the SAD and BJP may reunite ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

ALSO READ | 'Media speculation': Akali party chief Sukhbir Badal refutes reports of reunion with BJP ahead of 2024 polls

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP): The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party led by Hanuman Beniwal also walked out of the NDA to protest the three agricultural laws that have provoked massive demonstrations by farmers in 2020. 

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK): In December 2014, the MDMK left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, accusing the BJP of acting against Tamil interests. 

Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK): In 2021, the ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK)’s ally Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) walked out of the alliance protesting non-allocation of specific constituencies and the number of seats it sought for assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

Swabhimani Paksha (SWP): Farmers’ leader and Swabhimani Paksha president Raju Shetti left the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2017 slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saying that the farmers were cheated by promising double input cost as minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.  

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP): Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar had quit the Yogi Adityanath's government in 2019. The SBSP chief had earlier alleged the BJP was misusing his party's name and flag in the elections. Rajbhar has been one of BJP's most troublesome allies in Uttar Pradesh and has often criticised the state's Yogi government.

Rashtiya Lok Samata Party (RLSP): Unhappy with seat allocation, Upendra Kushwaha quit the NDA after it was given only two seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.