Gujarat proved the existence of ‘pro-incumbency’ factor, when massive voting tricked few psephologists to take it as a anti-incumbency wave. Gujarat vote is also for BJP ideology as for Modi. BJP emerges as party of India’s future, says Virag Pachpore. |
The results came as expected and on predicted lines. It was a foregone conclusion that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be catapulted to the power in Gujarat achieving a hat trick and that to a historic one under Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the just concluded State Assembly elections. Unlike the Abhimanyu of the Mahabharata who was surrounded, attacked and brutally killed by the Kaurava warriors, Narendra Modi not only repulsed the attacks coming from his political rivals - mainly the Congress, and the bandwagon of the so-called secularists - but also emerged victorious for the third consecutive time, thus making the BJP a winner for the fifth time in succession. This is certainly a cause for the BJP to celebrate the defeat in Himachal Pradesh notwithstanding.
The victory in Gujarat has many shades of colors. For the BJP, this was the first such instance to be in power for five consecutive terms, in a state like Gujarat that had been the bastion of the Congress ever since 1952 elections. Since its history as Bharatiya Jan Sangh and later the BJP, the party had never achieved such a feat in its political career. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are the two more states under BJP rule that may follow the suit in the near future. Both Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Dr Raman Singh are firmly in saddle because of the development schemes for the uplift of the poor, neglected and downtrodden sections of the society.
Gujarat BJP, especially Narendra Modi, was accused by the secularists and Congress leaders of their alleged role in 2002 post-Godhra riots in the state. The spectre of those violent days would just not leave these Modi-baiters who day and night looked for a chance to hurl countless insults and accusations against him. But they deliberately ignored the post-2002 development in the state. The dimension and reach of the development process initiated by the Modi government was all encompassing in as much as the foreign envoys came to appreciate the development in Gujarat. The recent visit and offer by the United Kingdom envoy to Gujarat may be a pointer indicating this new trend of acceptance of the politics of development.
No doubt, it is the vote for Narendra Modi. But it is also the vote for the all-inclusive ideology and policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the vote for good governance and development as Narendra Modi himself underlined in his victory speech. The message is straight and clear: Good governance and development alone can fetch the required votes. People no longer will believe in hollow promises and false slogans. They want development and the six crore people of Gujrat have demonstrated this.
A well-planned, well thought-out campaign by the BJP strategists to take the message of Gujarat elections to the voters of the country will prove immensely beneficial for the party. It would provide them a much needed platform to surge ahead and dominate the politics and polity of this country which is longing for an effective alternative that will rid India and its people from rampant corruption, improve economy and above all save them from the political debauchery of the corrupt to the core leaders.
The reactions from Congress stalwarts like P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibbal who shamelessly tried to interpret their stunning defeat into victory of the Congress party came as expected. Their pathetic rhetoric made them a laughing stock in the eyes of the countrymen. When Finance Minister P Chidambaram patted his back by saying that the Congress has attracted more voters in Gujarat people knew that he was, as BJP leader in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitely said, suffering from political illusion.
Speculations were doing rounds in view of the unusually massive voter turnout during the Gujarat elections. But the results have proved them wrong too. Over 75 per cent government employees have voted for Modi government, a fact that underlines the popularity of BJP Government and rejects the incumbency tendency usually witnessed in the past polls.
The Media and BJP-baiters have started debating whether Narendra Modi would be catapulted to the Centre-stage of power by jumping in the race for the prime minister’s post. Their main intention is to circumvent the spectacular win of BJP in Gujarat. The defeat of the party in Himachal Pradesh elections will also be highlighted as victory of the Congress party by blowing it out of proportions. But the common voter will not be swayed by these petty gimmicks. Better the media adjusts itself to this reality for the BJP has emerged as the party of the future India.
At least this is the clear cut message of Gujarat elections.
- Virag Pachpore
The author is a senior journalist & political analyst based in Nagpur.
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