Results that 'Modi'fied my thoughts...

This article was also published in The Ethiopian Herald, dated 25 May 2014

Respecting people's verdict: Dr. Manmohan Singh, outgoing PM (right)  greets new PM of India, Narendra Modi
(Photo obtained from the face book page of Mr. Binoy Job, Media Director, PM's Office)

As the largest polls and the longest wait for results are over, India gave a landslide mandate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led alliance.  Out of the 543 parliamentary constituencies, 337 were won by the BJP and its National Democratic Alliance, wherein the BJP alone ows 283 seats. With this, the party has received a mandate to rule the nation as a single party, not bothering much on its pre-poll, post-poll alliances. The BJP’s leader, 63-year-old Narendra Modi, who is incumbent Chief Minister of Gujarat State, would be swearing in as the 14th Prime Minister of India on 21st of May. 

The Modi typhoon has literally uprooted the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of the Indian National Congress (INC). The alliance had to satisfy with a meagre 59 seats out of which the INC’s share is 44. Compared to the elections of 2009, the NDA has marked an increase of 196 whereas the UPA has slid by 175. Majority of surveys predicted a clear victory of the NDA, but not a massive sweep of this sort. Out of the total votes polled, the NDA has procured 38.9 percent, the UPA 23.4 percent and the rest, who are not party to any alliances received 37.6 percent. 

The landslide victory of the NDA has led to an opposition without a leader. This is because no single party in the opposition, even not the INC, could manage to get the stipulated 10 percent of the total seats which is 54.

‘Modi’fication

The current election results have brought in a new turn in the Indian politics. At first, the whole nation has endorsed Narendra Modi’s leadership. Charismatic seniors are not scarce in the BJP; yet the Modi wave has eclipsed all. Modi’s tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat was both praised for the progress brought to the state; and criticized for his autocratic style. Modi‘s fondness towards the rightist faction of the BJP, namely the Sangh Pariwar, a consortium of Hindu nationalist organizations, is a concern both inside and outside his party; as well for the religious minorities. Yet, no criticism could tar him, but the victory has only made him brighter. During the election campaign, while requesting the Muslim voters to 'give one more chance for the BJP', Modi was tactfully painting his pro Hindu ideology with slight tones of secularism. While seeing this mammoth victory, we should assume that his tactics worked well. 

Now, the victory can also be reckoned as an overwhelming popularity accrued upon him for being a backward caste member whose life had a humble beginning as a tea vendor. Definitely common man in India must be seeing him as a counterpart, a source of hope that knows the ebbs and flows of a modest life. 

Another major impact of the election results is the historic downfall of the INC, the one that enjoys the credit of ruling India for the longest term. The party has recorded its slenderest win. Before, the party’s biggest decline was in the 1974 elections, when people reflected their ire against the autocratic imposition of emergency by Indira Gandhi. Even then, the party could gather 154 seats, which only furthers the shame of 2014.  

Major reason for such extermination should not be anything other than the anguish people have against unbridled corruption at all walks of governance during the past two terms (10 years) of UPA rule. When a ruling party approaches elections after two continuous tenures of rule, there should also be an influence of a natural degree of anti-incumbency sentiment. For majority of enlightened voters, it was also not a pleasant thing to accept the typical dynasty leadership of the INC. Altogether such facts played a detrimental game for the party.
  

Criticism upon Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister candidate of the INC was that he had no genuine political experience except the qualification that he is a dynasty’s link. A bit of his political maturity and composure was but visible while addressing the media immediately after the election downslide, when he, as the vice president of the party, readily owed full responsibility of the failure. 

404 to 44; 2 to 283

In the history of elections in India, the credit of winning largest number of seats is still owned by the INC.  In 1984 elections the party bagged 404 seats supported by sentimental erosion following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. At that time the BJP was thrashed to mere 2 seats! It’s quite ironical that after three decades, the INC is shrunken to 44 and the BJP, swollen with 283. A single party majority to rule India is also for the first time in 30 years.

Manifesto

Win and loss are integral of elections. But what is counted would be the way the winner uses the opportunity to rule.  The UPA decade was noted for proliferation of corruption. Hence the BJP election manifesto had a prominent place for anti-corruption drive, furthering the common man’s hope.  Launching public awareness programmes, furthering technology-enabled e-governance etc are among the party’s anti-corruption strategies. A pertinent question still remains unanswered in their manifesto: Awareness at grassroots or a thorough cleaning at the apex, which is needed for eliminating corruption? Let us hope that the BJP's manifesto won't be thrown to blatant verbicide. 

Outwardly the BJP manifesto would differ from that of the INC, but not at the crux. This is more in the case of foreign policy. The BJP manifesto about its foreign relations begins with a very complex, long sentence. One should patiently read it many times to get at least a grip on its tail. Though the party would hint a drastic difference from the Nehruvian one, ultimately everything lands on the same terrain, as has been proved during its previous tenures.  Don’t make a wild conclusion that a BJP rule would strain the Indo-Pak or Indo-Bangladesh relations. The BJP rules in the past have only opened new avenues for fostering such relations. But these are something that a pro Hindu party cannot overtly state in its manifesto. 

Expatriates have something to be glad at the BJP government. A major breakthrough in furthering links between the homeland and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origins (PIOs) was during the tenure of previous BJP government when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.  The annual celebration, Pravasi Bharatiya Dhin for the NRIs and PIOs on every January 9 was initiated by him. For the first time, many proactive initiatives for furthering the investments in the country from Indians abroad were also taken by his government. 

The BJP and its NDA alliance have got a handsome majority and ample five years in hand. Narendra Modi’s first tweet about the landslide victory was that ‘good days are coming for India’. Now people of India eagerly wait to see how much, and for whom ‘good’ the ‘Modi’ days would be.