Amit Shah, BJP president

The BJP chief has been working on this set of polls for close to a year now. It will come as a setback to his reputation as an invincible election manager, and an organisational mastermind. It also reveals the limits of the organisational strength. When popular will turns, the cadre can only do so much. The BJP’s machine is still powerful but Shah will need to do a lot more if he has to deliver 2019 to his boss, the Prime Minister.