Battle 2024
No INDIA seat-sharing in Punjab, Kerala and WB
The INDIA group of opposition parties has formed a coordination committee to discuss seat-sharing among member parties. They aim to pitch a common candidate against the BJP in as many Lok Sabha constituencies as possible in the 2024 general election. With the Union government’s decision to convene a special five-day session of Parliament triggering talk of early Lok Sabha election, the opposition parties have decided to try and conclude the seat-sharing pact as early as the end of this month. Sources said that the parties have arrived at a broad understanding under which there would be no alliance in states where non-INDIA parties are non-existent or too weak to defeat the INDIA party candidates. The idea is not to cede the opposition space to non-INDIA parties.
For example, in Kerala the two main players are the Left and Congress. There is hardly any scope for a third force to win a Lok Sabha seat. All the Lok Sabha seats are expected to fall in the INDIA kitty, regardless of who wins in Kerala. Similarly, in Punjab the two main parties are Aam Aadmi Party and Congress, both constituents of INDIA. It is unlikely that AAP and Congress would enter into an understanding in Punjab. In West Bengal too, the Congress and Left parties would continue their alliance, but they would not have a formal tieup with the ruling Trinamool Congress. An informal understanding among the opposition parties is, however, not ruled out in West Bengal. INDIA’s alliance talks will mainly focus on the following states: Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu and Jammu and Kashmir. While Bihar, Jharkhand and TN are the easy states, talks for Delhi, UP, Maharashtra, Gujarat and J&K would be watched with interest.
ED Director
Pravin Kumar, Rahul Navin locked in close race
Indian Revenue Service officers Pravin Kumar, who is currently serving as Member (Income Tax and Revenue) in the Central Board of Direct Taxes, and Rahul Navin, Special Director in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are the front-runners for the post of ED Director. The post will fall vacant on September 16 as the present director Sanjay Kumar Mishra will retire on September 15 as per the order of the Supreme Court. Sources said that the two officers have been shortlisted among the many contenders and one of them would be named as the new director this week.
Pravin Kumar served as the ED head of West Bengal during the last state elections and later moved to Gujarat. He was appointed as CBDT member in July this year. He was expected to get the post of Member (Investigation) in the CBDT. But the post has been retained by chairman Nitin Gupta. Sources, however, said that Pravin is closely involved in investigations across the country.
Rahul Navin has worked closely with the outgoing ED chief and has earned appreciation of the present Union government. According to sources, the government is planning to create a new post of Central Investigation Officer (CIO) and Sanjay Kumar Mishra is expected to be appointed the first CIO. The process of appointing a CIO will start after the appointment of the new ED chief. Once the post of CIO is created, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the ED will report to the CIO.