SHILLONG, March 13: BJP’s election results in Meghalaya have been quite demoralising despite enormous efforts put in by party leaders and workers. The party added just over 20,000 votes this time over its aggregate in 2018, while the seat share remained static at a poor two.
Yet, there was inexplicable euphoria in BJP over assumption of office by Conrad K. Sangma in a coalition where the saffron party is content to be a minor player with a solitary berth in the cabinet of 12.
The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his senior comrade Amit Shah, was present at the swearing-in ceremony here, carried a political message to the rest of the world.
BJP saw to it that regardless of the results, it resorted to optics with a view to creating a national perception that Modi magic is alive and kicking hard in the far-flung Christian predominant states.
The fact that the three swearing-in ceremonies were orchestrated from Delhi just to enable PM Modi to attend is no secret.
Tripura, where it comfortably retained power, is a legitimate case for a BJP celebration. Nagaland may also be seen as a triumph of Modi diplomacy in keeping a turbulent Christian state under his thumb.
What about Meghalaya then? Why was it so crucial for PM to attend these three ceremonies which were covered live on mainstream electronic media? Since when have these small states become nationally important?
According to political analysts, this is more about addressing a perceived western notion that Modi is anti-minorities and the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
In Nagaland, the Prime Minister’s back channel manoeuvres and election tactic have ensured that the Nagas fall in line even though the promised solution to insurgency is still elusive.
To that extent, all credit goes to Modi.
These analysts say that the coming parliamentary election is a compelling reason for Modi to engage with the variegated region.
As the opposition is making hullabaloo over the Modi style of governance and is threatening to challenge the BJP in 2024 with a greater thrust, and an internal survey of BJP is reported to be suggesting a possible fall in number in Lok Sabha next time, the 25 seats of the Northeast can make a huge difference to the fortune of the party.
BJP’s principal mover and shaker of the region, Himanta Biswa Sarma, is eyeing to make a clean sweep of the 25 seats. The heightened efforts to endear the diverse ethnic milieu are largely likely to pay off, these analysts say.
The opposition in the Northeast is at sixes and sevens. There is not much resistance power left, it seems. Except for Badruddin Ajmal’s AIUDF in a seat or two in the Brahmaputra valley, there seems to be no worthy opponent of BJP in this region.
Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal, Nagaland and perhaps Meghalaya too may not disappoint Modi in 2024, these analysts say, unless the political climate changes dramatically in the intervening period.
