New Delhi: Another year, another Milestone. Moditva strikes. In reflection of his no-nonsense ruthless political leader with an ear on ground commitment, the drastic cabinet reshuffle in July was the high point of BJP politics in circa 2021.
Youngsters have been elevated, some old woods and veterans pulled aside, a few dropped, and women and deprived castes were given adequate representation. In simpler language, displaying yet again the visionary touch, the 'Moditva' phenomenon in its vintage form now has prepared BJP for the next generation.
Anurag Thakur from small state Himachal Pradesh was rewarded, and on the other hand, Kiren Rijiju from Arunachal has been given the Law portfolio. The Health Ministry honour and tough assignment came to Mansukh Mandaviya, a lawmaker from Gujarat, known as a workaholic. Among the new faces, Jyotiraditya Scindia was made the new Civil Aviation Minister, and the most creamy assignments went to Ashwini Vaishnaw from Odisha-who was given railways and communications and IT. In the process, India got its youngest cabinet. The marathon 'reboot' exercise ensured ministerial berths for 12 Scheduled Caste, eight tribal, 27 OBC faces, and 11 women.
Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, a first-time MP from Inner Manipur seat, became MoS for MEA and Education and New Delhi MP, Meenakshi Lekhi, made MoS for MEA and Culture.
PM Modi also made one of his youngsters Piyush Goyal the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, and three key ministers, Dr Harsh Vardhan, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Prakash Javadekar, were dropped.
The BJP's return to power in Assam and taking on the might of so-called 'Mamata popularity' in Bengal head-on and pushing the communists and the Congress into the margins show the saffron party has come of age.
The refrains, perhaps, the BJP could have done better in fiercely contested polls wherein minorities Muslims unashamedly gathered behind 'a readily appeasing' Mamata shows people only have higher expectations from the saffron party. BJP was dismissed as a party of 'upper castes' not long ago. Things were changed in some northern states earlier.
In the 2021 battle of Bengal, the Lotus party could rope in support of backward castes – Rajbongshis and Namasudras-despite the Hindutva politics. A political philosophy–‘Hindu-Hindi-Hindustan’ was made 'acceptable' for the people, and thus ‘Jai Shri Ram’ could not be dismissed as a mere slogan of north India and Gujarat.
The BJP also succeeded in making Pishi-Bhaipo (Mamata-Abhishek Banerjee) duo a symbol of corruption, tyranny and worse dynastic succession, many said during the polls. But electoral challenges are never-ending. As the year comes to an end, the BJP's poll strategists are back in business, drawing out plans for key contests in Punjab and UP.
BJP has a new alliance partner in Capt Amarimdér Singh in Punjab, and the state is set for a four-cornered contest. In UP, of course, the challenges are huge, and the Modi-Yogi duo is well prepared to offer themselves as 'the double engine Sarkar'.
The BJP also has challenges in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. Again, different plans are being drawn out in different states. In Manipur, the target is 40 plus in 60 member assembly, and here BJP's trump card will be women, voters.
The party has already taken a giant, and vital political step as the state unit chief is a woman – A Sharda Devi. It is for the first time a major political force has a woman chief in Manipur, and the move is sèen as a game-changer.
The BJP also won crucial civic body polls in Tripura, and this was also the year it changed its chief ministers in Karnataka and Gujarat. For poll managers and key planner Amit Shah, yet again hands are full as the party has to soon start preparing for elections in Himachal and Gujarat in December 2023.
In the early part of 2023, three northeastern states, Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya, also go to polls, and so does Karnataka by April-May.
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