EXIT polls indicate that the BJP has come up with a huge majority in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Of course, exit polls have proved wrong in the past. However, there are strong indications anyway that the NDA led by the BJP will have a majority in the Lok Sabha. The elections were marked by the highest turnover ever. 66.38 % of eligible voters exercised their franchise. An anti-incumbency wave was distinctly on. The UPA was stuck in prolonged stagnation. In 2004, it adopted a policy of economic reform with a human face. But no positive action was taken to a significant extent. India’s governance structures retain elements inherited from the British Raj which call for urgent reform. Besides, the UPA was hit by one scam after another leading to virtual policy paralysis. This was in spite of a rise in growth and continuing inflation. There was a duality in leadership. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi pulled the strings from behind the scenes while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to take the blame for policy muddles and failures. This created confusion for the leaders in the lower echelons.
Narendra Modi was not above controversy in his own party. Finally, on September 13 last year he was named the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. Since then, he pursued a vigorous campaign against all adversaries, especially the Congress. He pointed out the UPA’s flaws unerringly. The BJP’s old guard has been sidelined. There is no doubt that Narendra Modi is the chief architect of the BJP’s victory. What remains to be seen is how he gives the government a healthy new look and lives down the image of his anti-secularism.
