The election results of Maharashtra and Haryana, have sound lessons for the BJP and the Congress. If it has spelt some revival for the demoralised Congress party, it has, at the same time, reminded the ruling BJP that it cannot bask in past glory. The BJP went into these elections with all the signs of assertiveness especially as the Opposition was in tatters — it is the party in the saddle, has a galaxy of star leaders and comes with the advantage of superior resources. Perceived diplomatic successes abroad and surgical strikes across the border also came in handy. However, the results show that the party can no longer camouflage the harsh reality of bad economics behind the narrative of national sentiments.
Dr. D.V.G. Sankararao,
Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh
The election results, of a win with a reduced majority in Maharashtra for the BJP-Shiv Sena and a cliff-hanger in Haryana, make it abundantly clear that we are certainly not moving towards a one-party system. The results also put to rest all talk of ‘one nation, one party’ and concerns over the possible emergence of a ‘unipolar polity’.
The BJP’s inability to make the results from both States as landslide victories have dented its image as an unstoppable election war machine bulldozing its way.
The inflated claim that the Modi-Shah juggernaut is formidable has turned out to be untrue. The election results augur well for our multi-party democracy. The Opposition did better than generally expected and has given a good fight to the NDA that looked invincible with its unlimited and unmatched resources, its shifting the emphasis away from the economic slowdown to ‘nationalist’ and ‘majoritarian’ issues, and its engineering defections and targeting Opposition leaders to demoralise them. A look at the seats and vote shares won by the NDA and the Opposition show that voters have been discerning. Impoverished voters in the grip of economic hardships seem to say that they need something more than the Hindutva diet for subsistence.
G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
