The nation witnessed yet another electrifying and scintillating election season. Now that the results are out for us to see, vet, and ruminate on, one thing is a must for all of us to concede upon — the Brand Modi is intact and the Modi juggernaut is indefatigable, inexorable, and indomitable.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) landslide victory in Gujarat only corroborates that Narendra Modi will be the overwhelming favourite to win the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Not only did the BJP, under the stewardship of Prime Minister Modi, clinch over 150 seats as compared to its 2017 tally of 99 seats, but it also managed to augment its vote share by nearly 4 percent. These figures are unprecedented, especially after running the state for 27 years. Among the numerous reasonable arguments supporting this assertion, the most cogent is that Gujarat is an industrial state. The moniker ‘the laboratory of Hindutva’ given to the state adds to the charm of Modi’s prospects. Yes, the Gujarat Assembly results do, in a way, reflect the charisma of Brand Modi and the mood of the nation for 2024.
Though the Congress won the state of Himachal Pradesh, the difference in vote share is only 0.9 percent. Clearly, the argument of ‘anti-incumbency’ against the previous BJP dispensation should fall flat and not hold any water. Since Narendra Modi will be the man for the 2024 general elections and the hilly state is closely and emotionally affiliated with the Indian armed forces, the Modi magic is sure to swing the polls in the favour of the BJP.
As far as the Delhi municipal election results are concerned, the writer strongly believes in the basic concept of common sense, which ratifies the claim that civic body polls are not a portent for the 2024 general elections and certainly not an active indicator of the mood of the nation. But for the record, though the BJP, which had won 181 of the 272 wards in 2017, managed to win only 104 wards this time, surrendering its 15-year rule at the civic body to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, it gleefully ended up surging its vote share by 3 percent. Again, the ‘anti-incumbency’ argument should be safely disavowed and precluded.
India needs an Opposition that is real and pragmatic in its campaign and brings up issues that resonate with the populace. Pandering to virtue-signalling to up its moral stance is not what can get off the public’s radar in the digital era, and the Opposition should know better. Bharat needs no unification or event-managed marches, but surely the calls for the assassination of the PM can be precluded by those who wish to see a united, strong, and affluent Bharat. The Opposition has to wake up and smell the coffee to comprehend one simple reality: they are here to vie with and challenge the BJP, not Brand Modi, for the party has its strengths and weaknesses, but shelling against Modi will always culminate in a boomerang effect.
Since 2002, Modi has been onward and upward. No matter how hard the Opposition tries to calumniate, castigate, or besmirch him, he creates a reverse domino effect to turn the ammunition directed against him to his advantage and sway it into electoral gains. The modern era will confirm this, as will the fact that he is as astute a politician and as kind a hero as the electorate desires. He has the unmatched support of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP, which is shockingly rare and uncanny for any sane mind who tracks Indian politics. To the informed, it is not surprising that Narendra Modi has consistently outperformed any other world leader in terms of international approval ratings.
Though the BJP has been known as a party that successfully creates a groundswell through its Herculean organisational structures and a copious legion of star campaigners, Prime Minister Modi has certainly upped the ante. If euphemism is used, Narendra Modi is the embodiment of a once-in-a-while phenomenon. That Modi is a relentless and full-time politician and that he is serious about his priorities, which include governance, cultural restoration, and winning elections, is now in the public domain. Whether it is a municipal election in Hyderabad or Delhi or the state assembly polls, he is the man on the go! He can be seen on posters, social media, in the media, and, most importantly, on the ground. From rank one to rank ten, it is Modi all the way. He has been unfettered when it comes to public service and public office.
Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @pokharnaprince. Views expressed are personal.
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