New Delhi: The BJP’s victory hasn’t merely delivered a body blow to caste and vote bank politics, but also to the federal polity of the country.
Mr Modi, assisted by his general and party president Amit Shah, forced regional satraps to follow his lead and build a national narrative.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Modi quake uprooted the much-hyped caste-based alliance of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. Despite the “Mahagatbandhan”, the BJP was set to bag nearly 60 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. It will take Herculean effort on the part of the SP-BSP to recover from this crippling saffron blow.
While regional players and the Congress had tried to build a campaign around caste politics, regional aspiration and economic hardship, Mr Modi changed the narrative by building his campaign on muscular nationalism, aggressive Hindutva and anti-Pakistan rhetoric. The BJP and Mr Modi harped on surgical strikes and even sought votes in the name of Pulwama “martyrs.”
All those questioning the government’s handling of national security were called the “tukde-tukde gang” and “pro-Pakistan.” Mr Modi and the BJP also managed to build a derisive campaign against political elite and dynastic politics by coning terms like “Khan Market gang.”
Speaking to the media, Mr Modi had said, “Modi’s image has not been created by the Khan Market gang, or Lutyens’ Delhi, but 45 years of toil.” The massive verdict for the BJP clearly indicated that majority of the nearly 15 million first-time voters chose Mr Modi’s nationalism over the Opposition’s campaign against economic mess and stress.
Massive endorsement of the BJP’s nationalist plank has transformed Mr Modi into the most powerful right-wing leader of the country ever. Some feel the impact of this victory will eventually be felt in the social, cultural arena across the country.
Prime Minister Modi, who is also called the “master of political theatre”, beat the Congress hands down at the game. In every phase he had a different narrative to attract the electorate.
