Gujarat CM Narendra Modi began his campaign for the Lok Sabha election last September after he was named the BJP’s candidate for Prime Minister at the behest of the RSS, the progenitor of the so-called “Sangh Parivar” of which the BJP is a key component, and he has stuck close to the RSS through this period.
Without doubt, Mr Modi ran a stunning campaign in these six months. The likes of this had not been seen in an earlier election. The ad spend by the saffronites on a scale not imagined — and one which has probably exceeded that of all other parties taken together — raises obvious questions about links to big business and overseas Indian entities. But as spectacular as the BJP’s (or Mr Modi’s) spending was, the Gujarat leader’s sheer dynamism was also on display.
This was crucial in raising the pitch for him, leading to the expectation among not a few that the BJP, under Mr Modi’s leadership, was going to cross the halfway mark in Parliament virtually unaided. Such a prognosis came in for some questioning when the saffron party’s PM candidate reportedly had a lengthy meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat last Saturday. This was followed up by a two-hour session between BJP president Rajnath Singh and top RSS functionaries in New Delhi. The news from these strategy sessions is that while the BJP expects a good result, it is still keen to rope in allies from parties that have traditionally had an adversarial relationship with the Congress.
All of this was fully anticipated by non-BJP parties. Some of them might already be preparing appropriate political alibis to support the BJP after having fought it in the election. The point, however, is that the state of their loyalty will only become manifest on May 16 when the results are in. The RSS knows this. If the BJP notches a good score, a few allies are likely to come in even with Mr Modi helming the next government, should the BJP be the first party. If the saffron numbers drop, then the RSS — which is power-savvy although it calls itself a “cultural” organisation — may be expected to discreetly look at other leaders from within the BJP.
Fully conscious of the possibilities on the ground, the “secular” side has begun issuing appeals to non-BJP elements to unite forces in Parliament, as evidenced by a statement of UP CM Akhilesh Yadav which obviously had the go-ahead of his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, the senior Samajwadi leader. But it is early days yet. The Congress is yet to reveal its hand. It is numbers that will do the talking, not the wishes of parties.
