BJP obstinacy can cost the party dearly

The decision by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stick with Narendra Modi as the head of their campaign committee for the 2014 general elections is paying poor dividends. With less than a year left for the polls, the BJP’s stubbornness over their prospective prime ministerial candidate has ensured that fissures are widening between them and their allies. Saturday’s call by the Janata Dal (United) party for a split, after a 17-year alliance, with the BJP has thrown the latter’s election campaign into reverse gear.

The developments, however, put the spotlight back on Modi. Though he has a great deal of traction at the grass roots level and brings an impeccable economic report card from prosperous Gujarat, his tainted secular credentials certify that other leaders in the National Democratic Alliance remain allergic to his credentials as future prime ministerial candidate. The BJP leaders will have to get into an urgent huddle to analyse the merits and demerits of going into the elections by projecting a single, albeit highly controversial, leader. They will have to be flexible in their approach since their obstinacy is costing them support from allies and well-wishers.

Retaining existing partners and wooing new ones will be an uphill task. Politics is like horse-trading. New alliances are forged with promises of bigger largesse. This can ensure that the BJP may never have a firm grip on parliament, should they prevail in the elections, because their associates will always hold them to ransom.