India state polls deal body blow for BJP
Victory expected to help Congress establish itself in a key role next year
New Delhi: The latest electoral results have dealt a body blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just months before the national polls with the party taking a beating in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan while a see-saw battle for power continued in Madhya Pradesh. With Telangana and Mizoram going to regional parties, it was clear that voters had rejected the saffron party in what is seen as an indication of things to come in 2019.
The Congress managed to garner a near-unassailable lead in Chhattisgarh by late evening, and it seemed set to form the next government in Rajasthan. In MP, the election results showed the two parties still locked in a tantalising see-saw battle.
For the BJP, the results in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh were the final test of its policies before it sought another term at the national level.
“There was an anger in public against BJP. According to most of those who conducted opinion polls in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, people complained that BJP had not done much in the last five years. People were moving towards an alternative. With these results, it is time for BJP to self-introspect,” political analyst Vijay Shankar Chaturvedi told Gulf News.
He questioned the poll strategy adopted by BJP leadership in the Hindi heartland states.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity is on the decline. He fought the 2014 general elections on the development plank but a number of administrative policies relating to demonetisation and implementation of Goods and Services Tax [GST] prevented him from following through on his tall promises. Besides, the Opposition’s offensive over the controversial Rafale deal put BJP on the defensive,” political commentator Rajesh Shukla said.
Today’s victory is expected to help Congress establish itself in a key role within the proposed grand alliance to take on BJP next year. Since his debut in politics in 2004, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was not taken seriously. But he led from the front in these elections.
Gandhi successfully snatched Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan from BJP which had seemed impossible till a year ago. The victory in these states came exactly a year after Gandhi took charge of the party. Gandhi played ‘soft Hindutva’ as part of his new strategy to beat BJP.
Although Congress lost badly in Telangana its big gains in the Hindi heartland are extremely significant.
No election depends on an individual. An election depends on several factors. The 2019 poll will be an election around the central government and the leadership of PM Modi.”
“Congress was desperate to stage a comeback in the central Indian states of Chhatisgarh and Madhya Pradesh that was once its stronghold. It was expected that BJP would lose in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh but Madhya Pradesh has come as a surprise. BJP now needs to pull up socks for 2019 national polls,” Chaturvedi added.
He said Gandhi, who was blamed for several defeats in the past, must now be congratulated for dealing a big blow to BJP.
Today’s results will make the road to 2019 more difficult for the BJP. Congress will definitely have fresh ambition and more resources to take on BJP. This will also make Gandhi’s leadership more acceptable to other opposition parties who want to be a part of the proposed grand alliance.
“This was a semi-final to 2019 national polls. It is clearly a setback for BJP and a comeback for Congress. For Rahul Gandhi particularly, today’s election results mean big boost. It is clear that BJP lost because of its focus on frivolous subjects such as renaming places and doing politics on temples and mosques,” Shukla stated.