New Delhi: At least for now, Mr Modi has crafted the end of India’s coalition politics. The contentious slogan “Ab ki bar Modi Sarkar” has finally turned into reality.
With Mr Modi leading the charge, his close aide Amit Shah planned the party’s spectacular triumph in Uttar Pradesh, the gateway to Delhi. Of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha berths, the BJP won 71, and is well past its highest tally so far of 58 seats in the state in 1998. The party also managed to increase its voteshare, and going by the latest available data, its voteshare stood at 32.3 per cent of total votes polled.
The BJP’s rainbow coalition of 25 parties virtually matched the saffron performance. Among these, the TD is set to win 16 of 42 seats in united Andhra Pradesh, and is set to form the state government in Seemandhra.
Speaking in Vadodara, Mr Modi said that development will be his only agenda. He also reminded the nation that “for the first time, the country will be run by one who was born after Independence”.
While Mr Modi was born on September 17, 1950, Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944. “This isn’t a time to die for your country, it’s a time to live for good governance, Mr Modi said. “With all and development for all — will be my government’s motto, and not an empty slogan. I hope I will get cooperation from all political parties and leaders in running the nation,” he said.
Mr Modi also added, “For the next 60 months, you will not get a better ‘mazdoor’ (labourer) ... In a democracy, there are no enemies, but only competitors. This competition is the beauty of our democracy,” he said, adding that the “bitterness” was over with the campaign.
“I want to assure the people of the country that for us it is our motto to carry along eve-ryone, however much they may oppose us,” he said.
