Warning bells for BJP - Early Times Newspaper Jammu Kashmir

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Warning bells for BJP

Omkar Dattatray

12/13/2018 11:51:42 PM

The psephologists and political pundits are astonished over the outcome of the just concluded state assembly election results. The exit polls shown by various new channels proved right as they had predicted comeback of Congress in the poll bound states particularly Rajasthan, M.P and Chattisgarh. The election results have given a strong message that all is not good for the BJP in the 2019 elections and the general election will not be a smooth sale for the Saffron Party. If anything the elections results ended the exile of the congress party in three Hindi heartland states and it also sounds warning bells for the BJP which is ruling India and claiming an easy comeback in 2019 elections. The BJP and its poll managers have to make an in depth, honest introspection and soul searching and find out where it faulted and why its balloon of coming back to power in its strong hold of Rajasthan, M.P and Chattisgarh punctured and why it has not been able to retain its hold in these crucial states before the final election battle in 2019. The fact is that BJP and its poll strategists have employed all their resources at their command to ensure its comeback in the state assemblies but failed in the semi final of the parliamentary elections due next year. It is a fact that the party falling back upon its hard Hindutva ideology has not earned votes and its theme of constructing Ram Mandir also was not taken by the voters at its face value and moreover the parties internal strife and war among its leaders has cost BJP the much crucial elections and made it to eat a humble pie in the elections and thus they lost elections to its archrival Congress and this signals bad for the political fortunes of the BJP in run up to 2019 elections. It seems that Modi magic and Chankya niti of its master strategist who is often talked about as the Chankya of BJP failed to translate their efforts and endeavors into votes in these elections, thus giving a serious blow to the poll fortunes of BJP in the elections and signaling the apprehensions that same may be replicated in 2019 general elections. Whatever it is, it becomes obvious that the elections battle of 2019 will not be a smooth sale for NDA led by BJP. While the parties hard Hindutva has cost so dearly to the party and its sidelining of the developmental agenda and issues have irked gullible voters as was manifested in the election results. BJP's pro rich image and anti-farmer policies have also played a part and given a serious jolt to the prospects of BJP in these elections. Besides, this anti incumbency was at its peak and it was exploited in a proper and big way by the Congress party and its poll managers in Rajasthan, M.P and Chattisgarh and this also lead to victory of the Congress and ended their political exile and this will pave the way for the emergence of Congress in general Lok Sabha elections of 2019 which are very near and on which all eyes are set. Election results confirmed that congress has consolidated its position and strength and it has been able to sell its poll agenda and promises to the voters in the poll bound states and thus has the party made a significant comeback surprising all poll pundits and experts. It also seems there was a lack of coordination between the local leaders of the BJP and its high command and this also played its part in the poll debacle of the party. Modi magic has also failed to generate the required response and thus it also did not translate into votes notwithstanding the tall claims of the BJP leaders. The BJP's debacle in the three northern states does not auger well for the party's electoral prospects in the 2019 general elections by any standard. It is also obvious that BJP has failed to generate a Modi wave this time round in the state elections as was expected by the BJP. On the one hand BJP's hard Hindutva message failed to impress the electorate and on the other hand party's deviation from its slogan of development played a spoil sport and lead to party's defeat at the hustings. The policies of the BJP did not motivate the voters and its programs could not find favor with the voters and did not fetch needed votes for the party.
One fails to understand that in M.P in spite of the good performance of its C.M Shivraj Singh Chauhan and his pro people policies, it failed to sell its policies and programmes and consequently did not translate into much required votes. It was felt that the people of M.P were all praise for their popular leader but they did not approve of the functioning of some of his ministerial colleagues and this resulted in set back to its fortunes. There were some dissensions in the party also and as usual some of the party candidates have filed their papers as independent candidates and all this played its negative part and resulted in most humiliating defeat of the party. In Rajasthan the voters were not pleased with the C.M Vasundra Raje and his style of working and moreover she was not also in the good books of the party high command. All this was in full play during the electioneering in the state. The fact that Gujjars were against BJP in Rajasthan and the fact that their leader Sachin Pilot did much hard work and ground work for the Congress in last four and a half years to dislodge BJP mansion and thus staged a comeback. The Rajputs were also annoyed with the Vasundra Raje over Padmavat and it manifested in election results. In Chattisgarh Raman Singh government was ousted becasoue of his anti farmer policies and his failure to contain nexalism in the state. Besides his image has got a dent due to his involvement in corruption case and this resulted in the worst debacle of BJP after remaining in power for 15 long years. Not only this Congress poll strategy and campaign and the party's poll manifesto coupled with Rahul Gandhi's emphasis on soft Hindutva damaged poll prospects of the BJP and has given the party worst drubbing. Rahul Gandhi who was often called as Ram Bhakth has beaten BJP with his tool of soft Hindutva and his poll management skills. In Chattisgarh, congress has made a land slide victory by getting three-fourth majority in the assembly while in Rajasthan party was able to get 99 assembly seats with BJP remaining content with merely 73 seats much less than the magic figure of forming a government. In M.P there was a neck to neck fight between BJP and Congress but at the end of the day Congress stole the show by getting 114 seats and BJP could get only 109 seats much below the required magic number. In Telangana, BJP got only 1 seat and Mahagathbandan of congress and TDP of Chandrababu Naidu failed to make any headway. In Mizorum, congress was completely wiped out from the scene and in both these north eastern states the regional parties of TRS and MNF came with flying colors and disseminated Congress in these states. Coming back to Hindi heartland the strategies of the BJP's star campaigner Yogi Adiyanath failed to arouse any sympathy and did not cultivate votes, thus defeating the appeals of the poster boy of Sangh parivar and its star campaigner. Even the slogan of Congress Mukt Bharat failed to generate any heat and sympathy for BJP and now it seems that there is a great possibility of Congress Yukth Bharat in 2019 elections. Congress has been emboldened by its spectacular success in the three states and in the days to come Congress will be leader of Mahagathbandan and will become a formidable challenge to BJP and Modi in 2019 elections and the general elections will not be now a cakewalk for Modi given the fact of Congress victory in state assemblies and its consolidation.

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