Victory is always sweet, for @narendramodi it's sweeter.
It's ATM problem for the Congress. The OBC caste card has failed. Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' and the "hype" generated over it following party's win in Karnataka also lost its steam. Congress is now 'cornered' in power politics -- and will face immense fund crunch in an election year as its rule is confined to just three states of Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana.
Moreover, the Muslim consolidation in its favour in Telangana has left Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party unnerved ! And in a polarised world, it would also mean further 'Hindu consolidation' in favour of BJP and Narendra Modi, the great champion of Hindutva rights and also a catalyst of development.
"We delivered and hence we won....," - is the BJP refrain.
And Prime Minister himself says, hat-trick in Hindi/Hindu heartland states would mean hat-trick for him in 2024.
It's true, the cow belt has shown lack of enthusiasm for Rahul Gandhi and his miscalculated card of caste census.
"We were always known as pro-Muslim, in Telangana even Muslim voters endorsed this and dumped BRS for us. But we played caste card to the hilt and intent was clear that we want to leave Hindus divided and fighting among themselves and one caste against the other.....Who can save such a party now,"? -- confessed one Congress leader.
A former Congress veteran in the northeast says -- "It's proved once again, we have wasted our time all these years with Rahul Gandhi". But the dynasty will soon be pleased to find a scapegoat; do not be surprised if Mallikarjun Kharge offers to resign !!
"The last time the Congress was in power in only one Hindi-speaking state was in 1998, when Sonia Gandhi took over as the party president. The party was then in power in three states – Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Mizoram," says 'Indian Express' -- which otherwise hardly is a pro-BJP newspaper.
Few gave the BJP a chance in Chhattisgarh where the Congress’s incumbent Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was predicted to return to power for a second term. Now that the party has pulled off a victory in a huge turnaround from 2018, when it had slumped to 15 seats, it will get down to picking the CM face. The choice won’t be easy for the party, which brought Raman Singh back to the state only towards the end.
Similar problems could be faced in Rajasthan also. Already there are half a dozen names. But because the mandate of 2024 now looks 'assured', the saffron party's chief strategist Amit Shah may work out with one or two experimental moves. In 2017, the party had surprised many when Yogi Adityanath was made the Chief Minister.
In circa 2023, Yogi is not only a 'bulldozer CM', he is also a leader of the future for the entire Sangh Parivar.
Reality check for Congress
"Regaining control of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from the Congress and retaining Madhya Pradesh for a record fifth term means that the BJP is looking virtually unassailable in the "Hindi heartland" of northern and central India. Ten states in this Hindi-speaking belt send 225 MPs to the parliament - and BJP won 177 of the seats in 2019," says a BBC report.
An improved performance by Congress would have come as a huge morale booster and positioned the party as the natural leader of a fledgling alliance comprising 28 opposition parties, but now other regional parties will be wary of Congress as the shift of Muslim voters towards it will augur bigger dangerous for these parties including the ones led by Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav.
(BJP supporters carry a hoarding of Modi and Amit Shah in Ahmedabad: snap Reuters)
***
Good roads, houses, toilets and gas connections have been the main thrust of Modi government’s works. Schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Ujjwala Yojana – had been implemented furiously.
Take for instance, even those who do not admire Narendra Modi and 'had not personally benefited' from his 9-year-old rule, they too see an abstract sense of goodness. Kaam hua (works were carried out) -- and hence they too have a reason to keep faith in Narendra Modi.
Important takeaway: Congress won Telangana with Muslim votes and this shows, BJP’s landslide win in Madhya Pradesh showed even in the rest of India during 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP can win "without Muslim voters".
In August 2023, the “Mood of the Nation” survey by 'India Today' magazine claimed Narendra Modi stands 'far ahead' of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with a 36-point lead as the candidate best-suited to be India’s next prime minister.
It also revealed that BJP "will win 287 seats in the 543-member lower House of India parliament if elections are held now (i.e.Aug 2023).
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