It’s Modi magic versus the rest

Parties, be it the Congress or a regional force, need to re- invent themselves to counter the Modi surge

The Assembly election results in Haryana and Maharashtra have proved one thing for sure — that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s magic, which played out during the May Lok Sabha elections, continues and it was once again reaffirmed that the politics in India has become the BJP vs the rest.

The Modi juggernaut continues to be unstoppable in the country, as the Prime Minister was the star campaigner for his party, holding around 30 rallies in Maharashtra and about 20 in Haryana.

The Modi wave is attributed to the fact that throughout the run- up to the elections, none of the leaders from any other parties, including the Congress, could match the content, appeal and energy in addressing election meetings and reaching out to the masses.

It appears that Mr Modi has been proving wrong time and again the section in the party which is opposed to him for his aggressive strategy of going alone. In Maharashtra, he, along with BJP president Amit Shah, preferred severing ties with the Shiv Sena and also decided to go alone in Haryana.

The same had happened during the Lok Sabha elections early this year when the Modi- led BJP let the JD( U) leave the NDA alliance and the saffron party swept Bihar. Even in Haryana, the Kuldeep Bishnoi- led Janhit Congress parted ways with the BJP for not being allowed to contest half of the 90 seats.

Incidentally, the recent poll results are confirming one thing — that regional pride and the social justice plank espoused by most the regional forces are failing to work and giving way to a new brand of politics, that is of collective wellbeing and development, which is being pursued by Mr Modi.

As politics in India is now going to revolve around the aura and personality of Mr Modi, most of the political parties, be it the Congress or a regional force, need to reinvent themselves to counter the Modi surge, otherwise they may see political hibernation.