Lotus party appears certain about a second term in 2019
Alandslide win in UP and a knockout punch to the Congress and the regional parties later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has embarked on forging a ‘New India’ by 2022.
The gambit of the BJP projecting itself as the messiah of the non-Yadav OBCs in UP has paid dividends. A surge was evidenced by their improved performance in virtually all the seven phases. Notwithstanding the polarisation, Muslims voted for the BJP boosting its tally. The Congress and the Samajwadi party paid a heavy price because of the infighting in the ruling party in Lucknow. Goa and Manipur had hung assemblies with the Congress leading in both the states. The inexplicable bungling by the Congress high command has angered the winning legislators – bringing their hard work to nought.
The BJP wasted no time in approaching Governor Mridula Sinha. Having blundered, the Congress approached the Supreme Court. The bench headed by the CJI asked searching questions of the Congress – of why it did not approach the Governor or sit in dharna if it disagreed with the decision of constitutional head of the state. The Apex court allowed the swearing in of Manohar Parrikar as chief minister of Goa as scheduled on Tuesday and directed that the vote of confidence should take place within 48 hours by March 16.
The BJP came a cropper in Punjab, an important border state. As the junior partner in veteran Parkash Singh Badal's Shiromani Akali Dal, the strong anti-incumbency against them having ruled the state for two consecutive terms laid them low.
The resounding win in UP after 14 years bolsters the BJP's position in the electoral college. It can now push for its nominee to occupy Rashtrapati Bhavan as incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee retires later this year in July. The chances of the Vice President’s slot also going to them has brightened.
The dynastic Congress party requires a radical overhaul. Being in a shambles in UP for 27 years, its performance was pathetic even after having entered into an alliance with the Samajwadi party. It was an unmitigated disaster for the Congress and the SP with the former’s tally being in single digit. The Congress central leadership calling all the shots has inexorably harmed its interest of having strong leaders in the states. Compare this to the strides taken by the Modi-Amit Shah duo in less than three years. After the shock defeats in Delhi and Bihar, the BJP strategists introspected and undertook direly needed course correction which ensured their staggering win in UP.
Further, the saffron brigade succeeded in enlarging its sphere of influence in certain states in the country's northeast. They are also desperate to make their presence felt in the country’s south. Last Sunday, during his victory speech at the BJP headquarters in the national capital, what the discriminating found encouraging was Modi's pointed reference to “majority” and “unanimity”. He emphasised “the BJP government is for all – for those who voted for the party and equally for those who didn't”.
In all this the opposition needs to examine closely why it is being constantly outsmarted by Modi who is grabbing all their space. A case in point is the controversial demonetisation unleashed last year which was welcomed by the people. The opposition has hardly rattled Modi who has firmly held his ground. With not even one of Modi’s multitude of pledges made while campaigning in the 2014 general elections having materialised in the last 32 months, his honeymoon with the people continues.
For now, Modi's unchallenged leadership has been established for protecting the majority Hindu community's interest and preserve its values. It also has the portends of threatening the secular and pluralistic credentials of this country. He has the peoples’ trust and continues to invest in that with his direct and uncluttered approach in endeavouring to better their lives. This is despite the BJP wantonly not fielding a single Muslim candidate in UP this time. It had contested 380 seats and left the remaining 23 for its allies.
Not everyone was sanguine about Modi in the run up to the general elections nearly three years back when he had alluded to being a Hindu fundamentalist. The Left parties have once again expressed concern about the right wing offensive continuing and underlined the need for a clear cut alternative political and ideological platform to contain the BJP and its ideologue, the RSS. Most importantly, the Prime Minister needs to be reminded that governments cannot discriminate.