By Nirendra Dev
The 2019 election outcome has been defined and analysed in more ways than one but the best objective view has perhaps come from a senior BJP leader who says the polls this year has unleashed a ‘BJP Model of Elections’ where fruits of beneficiary schemes have played an important role to decide people’s choice.
His observation is in tune with the theory of ‘Congress Model of Elections’ once propounded by eminent political scientist Rajni Kothari.
BJP leaders and a section of political observers say several welfare schemes pursued by the Modi Government and emphasis on cleanliness and transparent method delivery have played major game changers for the ruling dispensation.
In terms of governance, the direct benefit transfer into bank accounts, gas cylinders for rural poor, rural housing and a believed to be corruption free governance would be certain hallmarks of the Modi Government between 2014 and 2019.
In other words, BJP leaders say poor and faceless Indian voters in many parts of the country especially Uttar Pradesh were not attracted to Congress ‘Nyay’ scheme or the freebies nor were impressed by caste arithmetic of BSP and Samajwadi Party.
“People admired our sincerity and the strike rate vis-a-vis last man delivery. People were content with what they got — the gas cylinders, rural houses and toilet,” the BJP source said.
It has been also argued that the decimation of Congress suggests the total collapse of a political system that thrived in the past.
“In 1970s and 1980s, the Congress politics was centrist. It also revolved around families and the system passed on to dynasties in other parties. The Congress politics was considered to be represented by the consensus around the values of parliamentary democracy, secularist! and socialism. All major political forces of the time despite the clash of interests used to adhere to the common principles which were never challenged,” they say.
Rajni Kothari had argued that so powerful was that ‘consensus’ that even the parties at the extreme of the ideological spectrum were bound to uphold the broad central position represented by the Congress, the source said adding but this has ‘collapsed’ in 2019.
Hence, there is an unleashing of ‘new politics’ and the forces will in future have to toe the new line as being already articulated by the BJP — a high rate of delivery in good governance.
Especially in the context of Uttar Pradesh, BJP leaders say it is not only gas cylinders and Ujjwala that did the trick.
“The state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ensured that gas pipe line works gets pushed in Gorakhpur-Azamgarhregions even during election time. Moreover, there were lot of works vis-a-vis Awas Yozana and toilet construction and the people admired these,” the BJP source said.
Articulating yet another facet of this year’s polls, the pro-BJP analysts say since 2014 the electorate — especially the younger generation — seemed to have lauded the saffron party’s and Narendra Modi’s ‘image’ of a fighter against the existing system.
“In the past, as politics revolved around Congress and parties like Trinamool Congress, NCP or even the Leftists and socialists, there were largely seen as a voice trying to only enter the power-system and not a voice against the system. But once BJP came to the forefront especially with Mr Modi showing his abhorrence to Nehruvian politics, people liked it as the system was being seriously challenged,” the source said.
Overall, the BJP leaders give credit to the Modi Government’s sincerity in improving delivery level — through a transparent manner; and also to the party’s Good Governance Cell.
Headed by BJP MP Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, the cell promoted the welfarism and tried to recast best of success stories and successful models in one state in other BJP-ruled states.
Another lesson was that people have endorsed Modi’s campaign style.
On the other hand, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chowkidar Chor hae’ (PM is a thief) campaign simply boomeranged.
According to BJP leader Virendra Sachdeva of Good Governance Cell, “People did not buy the line that Modi has been personally corrupt. They admired BJP’s governance and faceless Indian voters also proved themselves smarter than everyone dealing them had thought”. (UNI)
