New Delhi, January 1: After a massive victory in the general elections of 2019, the second half of the previous year was tumultuous for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the electoral front. The party lost power in Maharashtra, where its 30-year-old Hindutva ally took the unprecedented step of joining the Opposition alliance of Congress-NCP. In Haryana, it managed to retain power after losing single-party majority status. In the final poll of the year, held in Jharkhand, the party was swept away from power by the coalition of Congress-JMM-RJD.

In the New Year 2020, the BJP-led by Modi-Shah duo face a formidable challenge in Delhi, where the polls are due to be held before February 22. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of Arvind Kejriwal, which had won the quasi-state with 67 out of 70 seats in 2015, is banking on its efforts in education and healthcare sector to retain power. Indian Politics in Decade 2010 to 2019: Anna Andolan, Kejriwal's AAP, Congress Rout and Modi Wave — How Country's Political Map Changed.

The BJP has launched the campaign blitz, with dates of the elections yet to be announced by the Election Commission of India. The campaign was kicked off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on December 22, with a blistering attack on those backing the anti-CAA protests across the nation.

The AAP, which is relying on an intensive door-to-door campaign to retain the vote share of 2015 assembly polls, has accused the BJP of attempting to polarise the voters on communal lines. According to a senior AAP leader, the BJP has sensed its defeat in the assembly polls and is desperately using polarising tactics to sway the voters.

After Delhi, the next electoral challenge which awaits the BJP is in Bihar, where the grand coalition of Congress-RJD-HAM(S)-RLSP has received a shot in the arm with the victory of a similar coalition -- which comprised the Congress and RJD -- in Jharkhand.

In Bihar, the BJP, apart from facing the challenge from the Opposition alliance, also faces a rocky road ahead to keep its alliance intact with the Janata Dal (United). The Nitish Kumar-led party has lately taken a sharply contrarian stand on the polarising issue of CAA-NRC. The party had voted for citizenship law in the Parliament, but has announced that they would not allow the National Population Register (NPR), which is considered as precursor to the National Register Citizenship (NRC) exercise.

For the BJP to continue its absolute domination in Indian polity, a victory in upcoming assembly elections of Delhi and November is essential. A consecutive loss in the national capital, followed by a rout in India's second-most populous state, may ended up turning the tides in favour of the Opposition.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 01, 2020 10:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).