Shivakumar Calls Bihar Verdict a ‘Lesson’; Seeks Overhaul of Congress and INDIA Bloc Strategy
Shivakumar urges strategy revamp after NDA's Bihar rout.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, serving as the state Congress president, called for an urgent overhaul of tactics for both the Congress party and the broader INDIA opposition bloc on Friday, interpreting the unfolding Bihar assembly election results—where the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is dominating with leads in over 180 of 243 seats—as a stark "lesson" that demands introspection and adaptation to regain electoral ground.
In an interview with PTI Videos amid the ongoing vote count for the two-phase polls held on November 6 and 11, Shivakumar acknowledged the people's mandate as a humbling reality check, emphasizing that the opposition must evolve its approach to counter the NDA's momentum, particularly as early trends signal the saffron alliance's potential for its highest-ever seat tally in the eastern state.
Shivakumar refrained from immediate speculation on key factors behind the NDA's surge, such as the Rs 10,000 direct benefit transfer scheme for women or the notable rise in female voter turnout, noting that a comprehensive report is still pending; he promised a detailed analysis once the full data arrives, underscoring the need for evidence-based recalibration rather than hasty judgments.
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The Bihar verdict, projecting a landslide for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's NDA coalition, exposes vulnerabilities in the INDIA bloc's unity and messaging, prompting Shivakumar to highlight the imperative for collaborative strategy sessions that address alliance dynamics, voter outreach, and policy differentiation to mount a credible challenge in upcoming national and state contests.
As the counting progresses, Shivakumar's measured response reflects a pragmatic shift within Congress leadership, signaling that the Bihar setback—despite optimistic pre-poll projections—could catalyze renewed vigor and innovative alliances, ensuring the opposition emerges stronger against the NDA's apparent stranglehold on Hindi heartland politics.
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