Shshank Saurav
There is an old saying “With great power comes greater responsibility”. This quote suits BJP best in the wake of recently announced assembly results and the party must acknowledge that a great victory has entrusted it with a bigger responsibility. People have shown their trust in Modi’s leadership and now his party is going to rule both Centre and the largest Indian state (i.e. UP).
Election result of UP is not the unexpected one but definitely no one could predict such a huge mandate in favour of the BJP. Any election results are combination of various factors and such factors did damage to opposition in UP also. Inarguably Modi’s personal image is untainted and people considered his demonetization move as a crackdown on economic offenders. The more it was opposed by SP, BSP and Congress, the more it created an impression that they are the one who are defending the culprits and in turn it helped BJP.
Another key factor in this election was the blatant communal card played by alliance and BSP in the name of secularism. SP-Congress relied on time tested MY (Muslim & Yadav) factor and Mayawati also tried to grab a significant pie of the Muslim vote in addition to her traditional SC support base. All these parties tried to disguise their appeasement in the veil of secularism which changed the mind of even neutral voters. Level of appeasement and the desperation to write-off Modi’s work touched such a low that evidences were sought for the surgical strike done in POK. The spokespersons from all the parties (barring a few) raised baseless questions over Lucknow encounter which happened just before the last phase of UP elections. Instead of polarization, it was more like consolidation of Hindu votes above caste lines in reaction to that. PM Modi’s call for equal treatment to all the citizens irrespective of their faith further cemented this trend. This is the time when politicians should accept that issues like communal Vs secular, M-Y factor, caste combinations etc. have lived their life and you cannot take your vote-banks for granted to come to the power. Entire opposition should be now worried with Modi’s increasing acceptability not only among all sections of Hindu society but also among Muslims.
Congress party in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular are a liability to carry for any coalition is another fact that is underscored in these elections. Punjab results testified this understanding where Congress snatched the power from SAD-BJP after 10 years. Though there can be a counter argument from Congress, that Samajwadi leaders were struggling to get over of their internal fight and therefore Rahul cannot be held responsible for UP debacle, which no sane will buy. Despite coming second in Goa and Manipur, BJP is all set to run Government in these states which shows the withering ability of Congress to rule.
There is another indication coming out of these results which is in the form of rejection of activism politics. Perhaps bitter experience of Delhi has given a lesson to other states and now people have relied on tried and tested faces. Irom Sharmila of Manipur, who was hyped as Iron Lady for her sixteen yearlong protest against AFSPA, was not able to secure even 100 votes and announced premature retirement from politics. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal faced the same fate in Punjab & Goa. Nonstop Modi bashing cannot be the answer for administrative incompetence is the clear lesson for Arvind Kejriwal.
These elections were considered as mid-term review of Modi’s performance and if final tally is the indicator then he has passed this test with distinction. However the game is not yet over and expectations will rise after UP victory. BJP is a cadre based party and it is the lower rank that regularly interacts with the voters. Soon the BJP will gain a upper-hand in Rajya Sabha, so the argument of Parliament blocking key decision due to lack of strength in the Upper-house will not hold. So far BJP has demonstrated a good governance model at the Centre which is by and large considered as corruption-free which will have to be replicated at the State level. The aspirations of people are growing and they look at the BJP for performance in governance. These expectations in a large and diverse state like Uttar Pradesh will be a real challenge, for which inculcating a second layer of leadership will be a key factor. n
