BJP gets off the blocks for 2019

The Opposition needs to do more if it wants to counter the party

Ameeting of the Prime Minister, the BJP president, some senior ministers, and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states on Tuesday discussed the possible contours of the party’s campaign for 2019. First, it was decided at the meeting that the BJP and the larger National Democratic ourtake Alliance, of which the party is a part, will fight 2019 under the leadership of Narendra Modi. This shouldn’t surprise anyone but it is a reflection of Modi’s standing and stature, and also a rebuttal of any suggestion that there could be an alternative.

Second, the PM and the CMs also discussed the measures the government has taken to address the angst of key voter groups — farmers ; people from the scheduled castes and tribes; and people from other backward classes. It is clear that the party will try and reach these constituencies with the message that it did something for them, just as it will try and highlight this government’s welfare programmes.

Also discussed were the upcoming elections in three key states currently ruled by the BJP: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

The BJP has been in election mode for some time now — this newspaper pointed out that party president Amit Shah has visited most of the states in the past few months — and the meeting on Tuesday should be seen in this context. Since 2013, it has also become evident that the party has a better campaign machine than the Opposition.

The Opposition, which is hoping to put up a united front in 2019, needs to work on these three dimensions. The first concerns leadership, and not just because everyone now sees large elections as mano-a-mano contests. The second concerns the messaging. A campaign focusing on the shortcomings of the incumbent will work (as it did in 2014), but only if the latter is incapable of shaping an alternative narrative. The opposition must develop a message around what it will do to address specific issues if it comes to power. The third is simply having the resources to launch a campaign that is as intense as the BJP’s.