National politics is set for turbulent times. With the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi set on a downhill ride in terms of popularity, exemplified also in the opinion poll results out this week, there should be glee on the faces of regional party leaders who are angling for power in Delhi. Their hopes might soon be fulfilled if the present trends are any indication.
In the 2014 polls, Modi sought people’s support for the BJP to evict the corrupt regional players from power in Delhi, the likes of the NCP and the DMK, in the backdrop of several scams that dented the image of the UPA. The wholehearted support the people extended to him saw the BJP getting a majority on its own, and the NDA claiming a two-thirds support in the lower house. Corruption graph came down at the top levels at least, no doubt, though there are instances like the Rafale which might have had provisions to draw funds for the ruling party through the arms of a business conglomerate.
As the results of two opinion polls done by reputed agencies showed, the scenario post poll 2019 could be one of a three-cornered push for power. The NDA would not be able to gain a majority, the UPA could be in a worse plight, and the regional players could come up with more seats than the UPA, though they are not a unified entity but a rag-tag group of power players. Technically speaking, there could be situations favouring a hung parliament, but post-poll realignments and greed for power on the part of politicians would ensure that a government is somehow formed. It could be Modi again, or it could be anyone else at the helm.
The opinion polls were based on people’s perceptions before Priyanka Gandhi’s role in Congress leadership was announced. This could materially change the scenario in ways that would favour the Congress more. Whether she could create a wave of sorts for the Congress is too early to say. What’s certain is that Modi cannot recapture the wave he created in his own favour and that of the BJP yet again.
Whichever way one sees it, here are chances the regional players would call much of the shots post 2019 polls, and a scenario worse than the UPA II period would emerge. This could, thus, be a season of political uncertainties – which would mean lack of focused attention on the nation’s growth in diverse fields.