A Clear Mandate For BJP in Assembly Polls

 

It is clear from the election results that out of the five States, Bharatiya Janta Party is going to form the Government in four and the Aam Aadmi Party in one. Except for Punjab, no anti-incumbency wave was visible in any other State. Rather, in Uttar Pradesh, after 1985, for the first time, a Chief Minister would take oath again for the second-time in a row. In Uttarakhand, too, there was a trend to change the Government after every election. This victory of BJP is also important because, from all the newspapers, channels, social media outfit and many other platforms of expression, there was a continuous claim of widespread public anger against BJP. Sometimes in the name of the Farm Laws, and other times in the name of the Citizenship Amendment Bill and sometimes the alleged neglect of the backwards-Dalits-minorities, the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) was constantly being put in the dock. Not only is it quite clear from the election results that this time the people have completely rejected the divisive tendencies like caste, region and religion, but also the violent and anarchist politics in the name of the peasant movement and CAA resistance.

These Assembly election results are concrete and  living evidence of the deep connection of almost all classes and castes of the majority society to a vast identity or a broad identity in place of small identities. It is clear from the results that the public did not take the claims and statements of many leaders and caste "kshatrapas" like Swami Prasad Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan, Dharam Singh Saini, Omprakash Rajbhar to Jayant Chaudhary very seriously. Out of these, Swami Prasad Maurya and Dharam Singh Saini even failed to save their seats. Rather, the vote percentage in the election results of different castes and classes lying in different Assembly constituencies sends out the message that every class and caste has its own fundamental and independent thinking and that each one has its collective interests and concerns, enemies and friends.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the vote percentage of men was 59.6, that of women was 62.2, in 43 out of 75 districts, women voted more than men, and where women voted more, the BJP got more seats. They expressed their faith in the team and leader who worked better on these issues, giving top priority to issues like their security-health-employment by going against the wishes of the family or husband

“One should never make the mistake of considering any class or caste-specific as private property and before leaving or joining any alliance, the concerned parties and leaders must consult with their respective base voters. While BJP got tremendous success in attracting the traditional vote-bank of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, the Congress did not get any benefit in publicising the Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as a Dalit face in Punjab.

 

 

It is evident that the policies and intentions of any party were more important than the faces-slogans-promises of the leaders for the general public or even for a particular caste. There was solid work done on the ground, and there was sharing in sorrow and happiness. It is the result of BJP's all-inclusive policy and all-around development that it got more than 34 per cent votes of Jatav and 45 per cent of Scheduled Castes.

The unprecedented and historic victory of BJP in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh proves that the people have stamped victory on its policy, working style of development and good governance. They got an immense benefit for taking public welfare schemes to the ground and ensuring that the Governments schemes and programs reach out to the beneficiaries. In the country’s largest State, Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s rose to the occasion by showcasing hard work and activism, his impeccable and transparent  personality, his image of a strict administrator who does not compromise with the law and order in any way, his  readiness for the safety of women and sensitivity, regular visits and inspection at every district-centre  despite being infected in the crisis period of  COVID–19. His activism made the administration to take the students and migrant laborers trapped in other States to safe homes, during the three-wave lockdown, the work done by the Government and the quick and welfare decisions  were undertaken, record vaccination, Instead of appeasement, serious efforts and initiatives have been taken to realise the slogans of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Praya on the ground of reality. Ignoring stature, influence-reach etc, Government demonstrated, courage and determination to crackdown on criminals and musclemen, stopping neglect of families and casteist politics and rare articulation and rivalry on national and cultural issues etc. proved to be very important, effective and decisive. It is a good sign that the participation of women was more decisive than that of men in these elections.

In Uttar Pradesh, where the vote percentage of men was 59.6, that of women was 62.2. In 43 out of 75 districts, women voted more than men, and where women voted more, the BJP got more seats. They expressed their faith in the team and leader who worked better on these issues, giving top priority to issues like security-health-employment by going against the wishes of the families or husbands. Schemes like Ujala, Ujjwala, Jan Dhan, housing, free ration were appreciated by women. BJP also got special benefits for the all-around development of temples and pilgrimage centres and working on basic facilities like roads, electricity and water.

 

Why people rejected other parties? Dynast parties–  All are family-based parties in which the leader will be from one family only. Merit and hard work have no credit here. Caste-based parties- These parties are based on a particular caste and they cater only to them Corruption- All these parties are corrupt to the core, misusing Government resources Appeasement – All these parties have been in forefront in appeasing Muslims and hurting Hindus. Anti-Development- All these parties never  bothered about growth or infrastructural development in UP People of UP did not believe in Mayawati-led BSP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra-led Congress and Owaisi led AIMIM. Law and order situation was the worst under their rule. Mafia and gangsters were given a free hand. It was a fact that women could not move out of their homes after 5 pm when Akhilesh Yadav was CM between 2013 and 2017. Some places were dangerous for both men and women. Anarchy under Samajwadi Party  Infrastructure was left to ruin under their rule. It was difficult to even think about investments in UP before 2017. Nearly, Rs.97000 crore worth investments could not materialise in UP under the Akhilesh Yadav  government. Samajwadi Party openly advocated appeasement politics. UP witnessed maximum communal riots under its rule. Thousands of karsevaks were killed the Mulayam Singh government. Muzaffarnagar riots happened under the watch of Akhilesh Yadav in which thousands were killed. It is a fact that Hindu exodus happened in places of UP like Kairana. Corruption to the core was the hallmark in all aspects of governance. Insensitivity to real issues and grandiosity of self characterised the Akhilesh Yadav Government  which celebrated Safai festival involving movie stars leaving aside problems of the State.

 

This time the majority of the society was alert towards the prevailing and fake politics of the biased and alleged “Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb” being done in the name of pseudo-secularism and so-called progressiveness. They have also been able to see and understand very well the crime and corruption that flourish under cover of separate identity and caste politics. The public often rejected the tussle between the State and the Centre, and it was considered appropriate and preferable to show trust in the double engine Government. This was the reason that not only is BJP going to form the Government again in four of the five States, but despite being the ruling party, it increased by 1.6 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, 1.3 percent in Goa and 3.0 per cent in Manipur.

The victory of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab is indeed historic and remarkable. But this is more worrying for Congress than BJP. Congress will have to think about how it can overcome factionalism and infighting and keep the party united by curbing the ambitions of its regional leaders. After Rahul Gandhi, now Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has also failed to boost the morale of her workers and win the trust of the Therefore, there is a serious crisis before Congress regarding its central leadership. Some political analysts started projecting the AAP as an alternative to the BJP as soon as it won Punjab. Some are promoting it as a diminution in the charisma of Prime Minister Modi, which is a baseless and simplified conclusion. Rather the fact is that the charisma of Prime Minister Modi has not only persisted but has increased election after election. It can be estimated from this that the Prime Minister held a total of 32 rallies in Uttar Pradesh, which had an impact on about 200 seats, of which BJP won 160 seats, i.e. their strike rate was 80 per cent. On the other hand, Priyanka Gandhi remained active in 150 seats, in which Congress could win only 2 seats, and her vote percentage also decreased from 6.3 in 2017 to 2.7 per cent.

 

The victory of AaP in Punjab is more worrying for Congress than BJP. Congress will have to think about how it can overcome factionalism and infighting and keep the party united by curbing the ambitions of its regional leaders. After Rahul Gandhi, now Priyanka  Vadra has also failed to boost the morale of party workers and win the trust of the Therefore, there is a serious crisis before Congress regarding its central leadership

 

Arvind Kejriwal also could not make any special impact in States like Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand except Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party had made big claims of victories in these States before the elections. Even in the victory of Punjab, local issues were more effective and decisive than the central leadership of AAP. In fact, it is more a defeat of old and established parties like Congress and Akali Dal than a victory for AAP. Primetime political analysts may or may not believe it, but the truth is that the AAP has yet to travel miles to emerge as an alternative to the BJP, abandon the opportunistic politics of accusations and free electricity-going beyond populist issues like water and presenting a serious and sustainable model of governance. For  a nationwide expansion, along with holistic thinking and clear policy, there is also a great need for healthy intention.

Punjab being a border State,  has been witnessing separatist and terrorist elements trying to raise their heads from time to time. Without meeting the national unity and integrity criterion, the acceptance of the Aam Aadmi Party or Arvind Kejriwal will remain limited and doubtful, even if the agenda-based media publicise them as telling them a serious, strong and nationwide option of the future.