By HH Mohrmen
As soon as the trends of the Lok Sabha election results began to appear, election observers, political pundits and what have you, started to debate what works for the BJP and its NDA alliance that helped it win a massive victory and what has not worked for the Congress and its allies that it failed miserably to win the support of the people. The factors that led to the winning and losing are as numerous as stars in the sky, but one thing is definite. It was not magic that helped the BJP win a major victory in the recent general elections, and it was not anybody’s curse either that made the opposition lose so badly.
There are several factors which influence the victory or the defeat of political parties and here are some which are in the forefront. It is the Modi wave some opine; others believe it is his charisma or rather the Modi brand that was successfully marketed. Every move he made and every dress he wore counted and it emitted a certain kind of message which resonated with the waiting receivers. He was projected as a pious man, who had humble beginnings and remained humble even when he was the Prime Minister of the country. Modi’s image is that of a man who by dint of his hard work has reached the top office in the country. A man who is a devout Hindu and a Prime Minister who is proud to wear his religion on his sleeves and to appeal to constituents which constitute the largest chunk of the population in the country.
This Modi image was further bolstered by the media sympathetic to Modi and the BJP. This was obvious from the way they interviewed him and the content of the interview which was comical in some cases. Modi on the other hand was selective in his choice of interviewers (and chose a movie star instead of a journalist) while also handpicking the media houses that he chose to be interviewed. This was all an attempt to sell brand Modi to the people and a section of the media were willing partners.
Still some are of the opinion that the massive victory is due to the Hindutva wave, and the hard work of the RSS in nurturing its support base all of which succeeded and brought the much needed numbers for the BJP. The RSS is like an engine and the BJP the different compartments of the train. The credit for the superb performance of the BJP goes to the RSS which is the engine that pulls the train. The Party’s decision to allot the Bhopal ticket to an accused in a terrorist attack is one case which shows that the party is pushing its Hindutva agenda further. Although the Ram Mandir issue was not on the agenda because it is sub-judice, yet majority appeasement was very much evident when the party chief, Amit Shah announced that they would implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) if the party returns to power.
This election like any other election before it was very much influenced by India Inc. The different corporate housed supplied the different parties with the much needed resource. This they have in abundance and this has contributed to the BJP’s win by a huge margin. As reported in the media the lion’s share or the major contribution made by the different corporate houses in the form of bonds went to the BJP. Hence this is another factor that helped the party win the election.
Some argue that what helped the Party win is because of its ability to make the best use of social media. The BJP has indeed graduated from 2014 and it’s messaging, courtesy the internet penetration even to the far corners of the country has definitely helped the Organisation reach even the far flung areas. Organisation wise the BJP is in a better position and because the party is power in the Centre and even in some state, its cadres are very active. It is also because of strong grass roots presence of the RSS that the BJP won a thumping majority.
Some say that Balakot air strike ‘is the factor’ or rather it was like the last straw which ignited the fire for the BJP and the NDA and it worked in favour of the party in power. National security became an important issue and the incident helped project Modi and the NDA as the only party which can protect the nation from the enemy. The opposition and those who questioned the strike were branded as anti-national, traitors and enemies of the nation. This has given the Hindutva brigade the impetus to work harder and has also had a huge impact on the majority population of the country.
It was rightly pointed out that it looked like the agenda which appealed to the Hindutva brigade and now even the majority population, is not music to the ears of people in the other parts of the country. The BJP did not make a dent in the non-Hindi speaking states either in the south or the north east of India. In the NE the BJP was only represented by its alliance partners in the tribal states. The non-Hindi speaking population of the country still feel alienated and feel excluded from Modi’s grand plan.
The opposition parties particularly the Congress got it all wrong. It began when the party and its alliance failed to cobble a united opposition front to fight the BJP and the NDA. On the organisational front the Congress units are no match to the RSS which works like a well oiled machine. In cases like in Meghalaya, even the party units were not functioning. This was apparent in Meghalaya where Congress candidate, Vincent H. Pala won not because of the party but because time favours him. As someone said, “in spite of his non-performance, he just happened to be on the right side of the divide.”
The Congress does not even have a strong grassroots presence. Their cadres are complacent. Hence they failed miserably even in the states where they had just won the Assembly elections. The party should be ashamed for doing so poorly even in the states they are ruling. This has also compelled people like this writer to eat humble pie because the party had failed even in the states that it was expected to do well.
The factors that led one party to win and another to lose are many and depends on local situations too. In one place it could be brand Modi, in others it could be the Hindutva propaganda while in the other it could be the Balakot air strike which helped the BJP to win. It cannot therefore be said that any single factor was responsible the BJP’s win and the Congress and others losing this elections. It is not that the Party decided on one single winnable factor that clicked and which helped the party to win. It was a combination of several factors which led to the BJP winning handsomely in the just concluded election. The Party and its alliance partners just happened to have a winning combination which worked well and helped them retain power in Delhi.
For the Congress Party, soul-searching is important at this juncture. It needs to analyse the reasons for its shoddy performance.