- Recall how the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), which was led by the Grand Old Party, handled the lead-up to the 2014 federal elections. The Congress-led UPA’s two consecutive terms in office at the Center turned out to be nothing short of inevitable, particularly the second term. The rash of scandals making national headlines, including the coal allocation, CWG, 2G, Chopper, cash-for-vote, and other noteworthy incidents, gave the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance excellent platforms to attack the UPA in the run-up to the 2014 general elections. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani, and Murli Manohar Joshi were among the BJP’s prominent leaders who were being forced to take a backseat.
PC: IndiaToday
- By keeping the three leaders confined to Margardarshak Mandal, active electoral politics was gradually phased out for them. It also occurred at the same time that Narendra Modi became a prominent figure in national politics and was positioned as the BJP’s representative. We now see how Narendra Modi’s image as a leader who prioritizes development and has a long-term perspective to bring the nation in line with the aspirations of its people was meticulously cultivated. The Gujarat model of development was envisioned as the most effective one that should be fully adopted to advance the cause of the country. The NDA, led by the BJP’s Narendra Modi, was chosen by Indian voters who were desperately seeking to see a feeling of freshness and, more crucially, an effective government free of corruption.
- To his credit, during his first few years in office, PM Modi made all the right sounds, ushering in a much-needed novelty factor by enacting a series of populist policies in support of digitization initiatives. Yet, some of the measures, like demonetization, merely made things difficult for regular people. Whether the demonetization had any impact on the illicit money in circulation or, for that matter, the cross-border infiltration of counterfeit currency as promoted by the administration, is still up for debate. The adversary had a field day challenging the action. Of course, with preventative strikes on terrorist-infested territories across the border, national security occupied a prominent position in 2018–19.
PC: TOI
- On the eve of the 2019 general elections, the airstrike on Balakot had a significant impact, giving the BJP-led NDA government another term with a resoundingly clear majority. Many were persuaded by Modi’s tough leadership persona, which included his willingness to act forcefully in response to Pakistan’s strategy of supporting terrorism. The strongman persona helped Modi earn popularity not only within the nation but also internationally. It is commendable how the Modi administration handled the pandemic, particularly the immunization program. The NDA has performed admirably in terms of the economy as well. Will the NDA win the public’s support for a third straight term? Wait a year, please.
