The mandate for the 2019 lok sabha elections in India has proved to be the landslide victory for the BJP- led NDA alliance. The alliance has once again won the elections and the existing Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold the position for next 5 years. This result will be analyzed from various points, in the days to come, however for a long time.
The phenomenon of National Security enhanced further the consolidation of a Hindu vote bank making caste calculations irrelevant. Though it was evident in 2014 also instead of getting weaker at any cost, it grew stronger this time. This helped the BJP in winning not only the seats they won in 2014 but also cleared their path into newer areas, significantly in West Bengal. Other factor that influenced the voter big time has been the overarching theme of the winning campaign and Modi personifying strident Hindutva nationalism. The response from India after the Pulwama attacks in February 2019 made this win very clear at that time itself.
Both these things helped Modi winning the hearts of the nation as well as successfully sidestep any debate on the last five years of his government’s performance. The Indian media also helped Modi by discussing only about the welfare schemes in terms of Government performance in five years. The important points of discussion including demonetization, economic growth and job creations were nowhere for discussion. Not only Modi but the failure of Congress party as the opponent also helped BJP win these elections. The opponent was only busy repeating the same slogans by Modi without creatively re-framing them on a daily basis instead of communicating with the public that was required. The structural deficiencies of the Congress were amplified many times over by its disastrous communication strategy.
The last nail in the coffin was put by creating the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, by making alliance with other state governments. While local parties have not been in-line with the Congress, endeavors by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi to create a partnership with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were spurned by its head Mayawati. Congress also twisted around in reverse to make a partnership with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, yet didn’t form the alliance. The AAP currently accuses the Congress, with an eye on the Delhi Assembly race in the not so distant future. The Samajwadi Party (SP) – BSP partnership’s presentation in Uttar Pradesh now demonstrates that it didn’t work to the degree that it expected to.
These are the factors that helped Narendra Modi win the lok sabha election again, not to forget the absence of a worthy opponent. Let’s wait and watch what else Modi has to offer in his kitty for the citizens in the country.
