Indian polls give a big thumbs up for Modi

The victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party in India’s trophy state of Uttar Pradesh is not just spectacular but potentially a defining moment in the world’s largest democracy.

In a state of more than 200 million people, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has garnered almost 80 per cent of the 403 assembly seats. Uttar Pradesh, known as the heartland state, has been the staging ground for several popular movements. Prior to the country’s independence in 1947, the state was the hub of anti-British struggles and later several other national movements too originated there.

The Congress, a party that ruled India for several decades, drew its political power from Uttar Pradesh. The state, which gave birth to a socialist movement in the seventies, also saw the dramatic rise of right-wing parties, a decade later. Eight of India’s prime ministers come from Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress won in Punjab and emerged as the single largest party, but fell short of the half-way mark in Goa and Manipur. It lost Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to Modi. The Uttar Pradesh win shows that Modi’s popularity remains intact three years after he won the national elections in May 2014 and three months after he launched the politically-risky demonetisation process.

The result also confirmed Modi as the most powerful politician in the country. With the victories in two states, Modi’s party now rules over two-thirds of India’s population. Unlike parliamentary polls, state elections are fought on local issues and therefore it is hard to build a single narrative for the entire state. But Modi’s victory demolished this conventional wisdom by creating a “rainbow of coalition”, his popularity cutting across almost every socio-economic and caste group.

Modi is now expected to gain enormous legislative power in both the houses of Parliament. Uttar Pradesh sends 80 lawmakers to the elected house of the Lok Sabha and 30 to the nominated house of the Rajya Sabha where his party lacked a majority. And this will allow Modi to choose the next president of India when the incumbent retires in July.

The BJP’s enormous victory is a huge psychological blow to the opposition parties which were decimated in their strongholds. For example, in Amethi, the constituency of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, BJP won four out of five assembly seats.

It is clear that Modi’s victory march will continue at least until the 2019 national elections. The opposition parties require not just a deep introspection, but also must begin a headhunt for a leader to match Modi’s stature.