It took its time coming, but in the end Bharat (more on that later) trumped the so-called political experts from New Delhi’s gin-n-tonic cocktail circuit. And how! The recently concluded round of elections to five State assemblies returned a verdict that can only be described as a thumping endorsement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership of India.
The final tally reads BJP: 4 states; Congress: 1 state. Of the five states in question, Uttar Pradesh was undoubtedly the most important. Occupying about the same area as the UK, the state would have displaced Brazil as the fifth most populous country in the world had it been independent. Conventional wisdom has it that the road to power in New Delhi runs through this crucial state and that whoever rules Uttar Pradesh rules India.
So, the overwhelming victory (325 out of 403 seats) in the state has sealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation as India’s most popular politician and the BJP’s status as the most prominent pole in Indian politics. Many analysts have called this round of elections, considered the semi-final before the 2019 General Elections, a watershed – and with good reason. For it marks a decisive rejection of the sluggish and corruption riddled top-down development model followed by the Congress and the many regional parties that have sprung up over the last quarter of a century to fill up the political vacuum caused by its decline.
That space has now been occupied by the BJP across most of India. Addressing party workers, as well as the nation, following the landslide win, Modi said: “A new India is emerging… The poor seek opportunities, not sops. The more opportunities you give them, the more the country will shine...” Modi was once again reaching out to the last person in the queue – the people of Bharat, the person who toils hard in small towns and villages.
Since Independence, the Congress had perfected the art of giving hand-me- downs that tied multiple communities and special interest groups to the its party (and its first-family) for generations and created captive vote banks. I interpret the mandate as Bharat’s thank you note to a Prime Minister who at last understands their struggles and their aspirations. The results have also clearly demonstrated that Prime Minister Modi’s inclusive slogan of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas (Development for all, discrimination against none) still resonates with the electorate, who have rejected the obstructionist policies of the opposition parties led by the Congress.
These elections were held in the immediate aftermath of the demonetisation (dubbed Demo by the media) of high value currency notes that, according to anecdotal evidence, had caused great economic dislocation. The results show that Modi was able to convince voters that the long-term benefits of Demo would far outweigh its short-term pain.
Does this mean Modi’s re-election as Prime Minister in 2019 is a foregone conclusion? A week is a long time in politics; so, it is impossible to forecast a verdict two years in advance. But suffice to say that the 2017 election results show that the BJP government under Modi is far better placed than its rivals to return to power. Indeed, Modi is already talking of his 2022 vision for India, which coincides with India’s 75 th anniversary.
Manoj Ladwa is the founder and chief executive of India Inc. - publishers of India Global Business and India Investment Journal @manojladwa
