Elections, cutting ties, making ‘u-turns’, protests, padyatras and much more, the year 2022 was a year of twists and turns for India’s political landscape.
As the year comes to an end, here is a look back on some of the key political events that have unfolded in the last 12 months.
Elections 2022
In the year 2022, Goa, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Delhi Municipal corporation (MCD) went to elections.
Bharatiya Janta Party’s dominance continues in 2022. The saffron party won 5 states- Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
Congress party won elections in only one state – Himachal Pradesh.
Aam Aadmi Party’s electrifying performance helped the party win Punjab and Delhi MCD polls. It is to be noted that Kejriwal’s party ended the 15-year rule of the saffron party in MCD.
Political uncertainty in Maharashtra as Shiv Sena splits
In June, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde led a revolt against his own party.
An absolute drama staged by Shiv Sena leaders ended with the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government.
Uddhav Thackeray had to resign from the CM post. Shinde took oath as Maharashtra CM with the support of the BJP.
Later, the Election Commission of India allotted ‘ShivSena – Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ as the party name for the Thackeray faction, and ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’ as the name for the Eknath Shinde group of the party.
The polling body also allotted the flaming torch or ‘mashaal’ as the election symbol for the group headed by Thackeray and a ‘dhal talwar’ or ‘two swords and a shield as its symbol to the Eknath Shinde camp.
Droupadi Murmu elected as India’s first tribal president
India scripted history when Droupadi Murmu, the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) candidate was elected as the country’s 15th president.
64-year-old Murmu hails from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha and belongs to the Santhal tribe.
Murmu’s presidency marks many firsts – She became the youngest and the first tribal woman President of the Republic of India. Murmu is only the second woman, after Pratibha Patil, to hold the highest constitutional position in the country.
Murmu defeated the opposition’s candidate Yashwant Sinha, winning 64.03 per cent of the total votes polled.
Nitish Kumar back to ‘Mahagathbandhan’
JD(United) supremo Nitish Kumar broke ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and joined hands with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to form a new government in Bihar.
On August 10, Kumar took oath as the Bihar chief minister for the eighth time after he announced a new “Mahagathbandhan” (new grand alliance) with RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav and other opposition parties.
Tejashwi was also administered the oath of office as deputy CM in a ceremony at Raj Bhawan.
Bharat Jodo Yatra
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on September 7 kickstarted the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra (Uniting India rally) from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
Rahul Gandhi said the reason for starting the Bharat Jodo Yatra was to have the opposition’s voices heard.
The 3,570-kilometre-long yatra, which will take roughly 150 days to complete, is being seen as a strategy by Congress to improve its chances in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Congress president election – Kharge becomes first non-Gandhi Prez in 24 years
The Congress presidential polls were historic as the new president replaced Sonia Gandhi, the longest-serving party president who has been at the helm since 1998, barring the two years between 2017 and 2019 when Rahul Gandhi had taken over.
Mapanna Mallikarjun Kharge, a staunch Gandhi family loyalist from Karnataka on October 19 became the Congress’ first non-Gandhi president in 24 years.
The 80-year-old leader succeeded Sonia Gandhi at the grand old party’s highest office.
Kharge defeated Member of Parliament from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor in the October 17 Congress’ Presidential polls, which saw over 9,500 delegates across the country voting.
