With Nitish Kumar's exit from NDA, huge void for BJP in East India ahead of 2024

New Delhi: With Nitish Kumar deserting the National Democratic Alliance once again, the Bharatiya Janata Party has a new headache ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls. The party is now completely erased from power in eastern India. Non-BJP parties are now in government in electorally significant Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. 

The issue is very critical for the BJP as it was banking on these states to grow and seek more seats in the 2024 general elections. 

These states send a total of 117 MPs to Lok Sabha with West Bengal 42, Bihar 40, Odisha 21 and Jharkhand 14. And with the BJP already hitting the saturation mark in North, West and Northeast India, this region along with the South are the main hopes for growth and more seats for the saffron unit. The party plans to target at least half of Lok Sabha seats from these states. 

Sources stated that East India could have emerged as the main gains area for the BJP in the next general election as it is the main opposition party in all these four states. 

"However, losing power in Bihar means that the party leadership and cadre would now have to work extra hard to ensure a good performance in the 2024 polls," sources said. 

Will the absence of BJP's double-engine government hurt it in 2024? 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often called on voters in electoral rallies that a double engine government would ensure faster development of states as the Centre and State governments would have better synergy in the implementation of various projects. 

The BJP's top leadership often claims that its double-engine government can help propel Narendra Modi back to power. However, the much-touted double-engine government would be absent from the region with all these four states controlled by seasoned leaders from the opposition camp. 

While Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad will take on the BJP in Bihar, Mamata Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik and Hemant Soren will present a formidable challenge to the saffron unit in West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, respectively. 

With a change in the ruling dispensation in Bihar, it would be difficult to push through projects and welfare measures implemented by the Centre. Crucial infrastructure projects may also face delays and it would be difficult to push them through these unfriendly state governments, sources added. 

With non-BJP governments at the helm, it will be a disadvantage NDA in east India ahead of 2024.