Without going into any numerical studies, one thing is clear “BJP has lost power in many states”. BJP polled more votes in various states elections or any other face-saving statements does not hide the fact that BJP is not ruling as many states as it used to do in the recent past. BUT BJP got 4.5 years of power at the centre and thus BJP has not yet lost it. On a philosophical note, parties win some and lose elections as it is a part of the cycle. So here are some FAQ that arise and some answers to the same.
What should BJP learn from its losses?
After the passage of super massive legislations through the parliament and after seeing BJP in power in too many states, there may be a tendency of saffron overload and thus people might have decided to see some other colors. By being in power at the centre, BJP will always be in the people’s mind and thus there is no survival scare for the BJP. But the truth is really scary for the Congress and other secular parties as the minority assertion will lead to more caste problems which will help in reverse consolidation for the BJP. But BJP should get its calculations right and come back to its winning ways quickly. “Form is temporary and Class is permanent”, goes an old saying. From a party of 2 members in parliament it has come a long way with a lot of institutional memory and cadre memory and thus there will definitely many lessons for the party.
Whether BJP is not giving space to state leadership?
Somebody should be really a political novice to even have these doubts. BJP has put up some good CMs such as Yogi Adithyanath, Manohar Lal Kattar, Vijay Rupani, Devendra Fadnavis, BS Yedurappa, etc. The last name in the list needs special mention and was also provided a standing ovation as per the media reports. BSY was given complete support this time by the central leadership unlike the old times when this mass leader was harassed for various reasons. Each leader has got their own strengths and weaknesses and that is another matter and each one is capable in more than one way and have proved it on a number of occasions. But the comparison with Modi will always be a problem because in the era of Modi, the benchmark is very high.
Whether national issues help BJP win in some state elections?
This is one issue which seem to be a problem to the BJP with Modi as the super massive vote magnet. With increased awareness people are beginning to realize that they want more hands on people, i.e, people who are available for solving their local issues during state and other local body elections. The tendency that Modi will get the votes has crept so deep into the BJP cadre psyche that some local politicians use Modi’s name for winning panchayat elections. This is not going to help BJP in the long run.
Many people are winning elections because they could win purely based on Modi’s name and they end up doing nothing or they win because there is no other alternative and this is becoming a habit and it not good for the BJP and seems to be the only problem. Modi is becoming to BJP what Gandhi was to Congress. But unlike the Gandhi of Congress, Modi of BJP is doing only good for the nation. Various political parties will go hyper local in elections to keep the voter’s mind entangled with local issues than the national issues in most elections.
If the politicians are not able to help resolve people’s issues in sensible manner and become unapproachable or even become selective approachable on Social Media, then it a sure shot sign of danger to the party. A BJP politician has to appear neutral and Congress politician has to be appear pro-minority and a Islamic politician has to appear anti-Hindu.
What happens in Delhi?
Delhi is a state of power and thus too many issues are involved, be it cracker burning and the subsequent arrests or the media circus that happens all the time, people are too confused over too many issues. It will be a tough fight for the BJP as the recent violence in Delhi is not a good sign for the party.
What happens to UP?
Yogi seems to have UP under his grip and his opponents of various colors including saffron might want to destroy his image of being a strong leader who has maintained the law and order. Many crimes from the state will be highlighted and a perception will be created to show that Yogi has no grip over the state. But the truth is not what the perception is and it can be anything on the ground. Based on some reports it seems that the ultra local policing issues are still unchanged and it might be a problem for the BJP also. It is necessary to use political power in ways that it is not meant to be to get the desired results in the end only if the person wielding the power things of the greater good than personal good.
Many of the BJP leaders fail to use the power given by the people to deliver on some issues which will not give results instantly but have considerably long gestation periods and one of them is control of education institutes, even distribution of public resources etc and the so-called Core Items. Until BJP realizes that need for the long-term plan and strategy, it will be a continuous struggle against the aggressive minority and castiest politics. We have recently seen quite a few brain fried youth who are participating in protests and are a product of our great education system. Hope some reforms are done to set the education straight for the greater good of the nation. There is always hope as most Hindus still think that BJP is the political tool to achieve equality and until this hope remains there will always be a hope for BJP. The moment caste groups begin to think that there are other ways to get control over resources, then it is mostly game over.
Picture Credit: Rishabh
