BJP in disarray

A series of surveys commissioned by the Bharatiya Janata Party to gauge the mood of the electorate in the four major states going to polls on December 1 has created panic among the ranks and files of the party leaders. The surveys undertaken by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh-affiliated organisations has concluded that the saffron surge is no longer visible.

The surveys point out that BJP would require allies if they are to form a government in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Moreover, in Chhattisgarh, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is gradually eroding the Hindutva forces' support base.

With the former Congress veteran VC Shukla joining the NCP, the party has gained the stature of a regional outfit and attracted several disenchanted leaders from the Congress and BJP.

The NCP's emergence as a powerful force in the newly-formed state will create a scenario where the electoral contest would be three-cornered, one of the surveys conducted to give inputs for the party leadership pointed out.

A former BJP general secretary admitted that going by the survey's findings, it is evident that the NCP would play the crucial role in formation of the next government in Chhattisgarh.