With the Bhartiya Janata Party registering a landslide victory in the 2019 general elections, in all probability, in which the NDA is seemingly getting over 300 seats, Indian politics has once again kept up its infamous tag of being indecipherable and unpredictable until the last second. Even with Congress’ in power in the three major states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and a touted credible opposition in the form of an SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, the regional satraps and the national big guns failed to arrest the momentum of the BJP. BJP has significantly upped its ante and improved on its seat share in Karnataka, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana and even relatively in Uttar Pradesh where although it has lost seats but has still managed to hold on to around 60 seats, as of now.
Regional players have gained too. Naveen Patnaik, the incumbent CM is all set to take on the office for a record fifth term in Odisha where his party, BJD has defied the Modi wave and managed to register around 110 seats in the legislative assembly elections. Similarly, Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party has achieved a thumping victory in Andhra Pradesh where it has decimated the TDP, BJP and the INC altogether.
However, these elections have had a distinct flavour of their own. Unlike the general elections in 2014, where BJP’s motto was highlighting the scams of the then incumbent Congress and bringing developmental agendas to the electoral battle, the 2019 elections have been one where the question of jobs, electricity, secularism, housing, farmers’ issues have taken a backseat. The only big question that seems to be looming in the horizon is: if not Modi, who shall revive the Hindus?
The 2019 elections for the BJP have not been about voting out corruption (because then Rafale would have come to play!), rather it has been about saving Hindus from a non-existent threat, of danger that seemingly appears to have taken hold post-2014. The larger than life projected stature of Narendra Modi and his manufactured role as a messiah of the underprivileged and ‘exploited’ Hindus has propelled the NDA back to power. Even in places where opposition heavyweights were supposed to win, the clarion call of ‘Modi for Centre’ has led to a landslide victory for certain surprising candidates as well as some candidates with serious charges.
Smriti Irani has managed to defeat Rahul Gandhi in his bastion, Amethi while Pragya Singh Thakur, known for terror charges labelled against her and her remarks about Hemant Karkare and Nathuram Godse, managed to defeat former CM Digvijay Singh by over two and a half lakh votes. Atishi Marlena, known for her popular educational policies, lost to Gautam Gambhir, who had joined the BJP just a few months ago.
All of this comes after NSSO’s reports on employment being at a 45-year low and a severe intelligence failure that led to over 40 CRPF Jawans being killed in Pulwama in February, earlier this year. On top of it, the complicated caste arithmetic of UP which has Thakurs, Yadavs, Dalits, and Muslims in its fold has not managed to make a strong dent in the BJP’s surge. However, Kerala and Tamil Nadu registered zero Lok Sabha wins for the BJP and in Andhra Pradesh as well, YSRCP managed to dominate simultaneously in both the assembly as well as parliamentary elections.
Perhaps a very important reason for this can be attributed to the hyper-nationalistic spirit around the country, a jingoistic zeal regarding the army and an almost fanatic surge to save the religion of Hinduism from dangers, apparently only evident to the BJP.
At the end of the day, the truth that holds is BJP and the NDA have scored a resounding victory in the Indian state. However, it is also indicative of the fact that a majority of Indians have chosen to repose their faith in persons who honour the legacy of Godse over Gandhi, Pragya over Hemant Karkare, and of jingoistic fervour over an informed debate. If it is so, then the real India that has boasted over the years to be the cradle of civilization should take charge and fight to save its soul. The opposition needs to introspect on its leadership and strategy. Only then can we hope to revive the India that we once read of as an inclusive nation.