- The Bharatiya Janata Party is setting the tone for the political narrative election after election is obvious. The comprehending lot will nod in agreement on how the BJP’s poll machinery simply chugs along without any signs of fatigue, lack of intent, or determined focus. It’s amazing to witness how the BJP manages to stay energetic and fully committed during any form of election. Be it a local body, state assembly, or bypolls, or for that matter, Parliamentary elections, the BJP simply doesn’t know to relax and presses ahead with the acceleration relentlessly. Those hours of hard work and single-minded devotion are paying rich dividends for the saffron brigade. None better than the comprehensive Gujarat assembly election result mirrors this fact splendidly.
PC: CNBC-TV18
- The unprecedented seventh consecutive triumph in an election in Gujarat is unparalleled highlighting yet again the significant contributions of the face of the BJP, none other than the charismatic Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is becoming increasingly clear the presidential type of election will pan out in India with Modi being the centre of attraction, traction, and mascot whose face sells like a hot potato. In Gujarat, BJP has achieved the improbable feat of bettering its vote share after decades in office while Congress and Aam Aadmi Party split the opposition vote. BJP’s 49% vote share in 2017 and 48% in 2012 has crossed 52% this time, but Congress’s steady 43% in 2017 and 41% in 2012 crashed to 27%, with AAP shaving off 13%.
- What does Gujarat’s result entail for the opposition ranks? BJP’s staying power in big states tells the opposition that they must revive unity efforts. However, pro-incumbency sentiment, like in Gujarat or the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, renders even pre-poll coalitions futile. Moreover, voters are quickly sizing up opportunistic alliances: recall SP-BSP and Congress-JD(S) in 2019. Still, splitting the anti-incumbency vote is mutually assured destruction. So, the opposition’s dilemma has sharpened. If, and this is a big if, Bihar’s newest gathbandhan and Maharashtra’s Maha Vikas Aghadi survive till 2024, unity talks could gather steam. Otherwise, the scenario looks downhill for the opposition aiming to stop the BJP juggernaut.
PC: Hendrik Hertzberg
- Further, BJP’s vote share in Gujarat has finally earned AAP national party status. But unless drafted into a pre-poll alliance it can be a spoiler for the opposition. AAP’s attractiveness to disillusioned voters is not to be dismissed entirely. But Kejriwal’s politics is becoming predictable. Freebies alone won’t cut the ice as Gujarat and Himachal result show. Of course, Himachal stayed true to its track record of ousting incumbents, giving Congress its best assembly poll showing since 2018. It will slightly temper criticism that Congress is incapable of defeating the BJP. Congress should understand that only winning, not a yatra, matters. If the opposition thinks a win here or there will be enough in the run-up to 2024, its advantage BJP all the way.
