‘Maha Vijay’ is almost decided

In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, various media houses and polling agencies are carrying out opinion polls to gauge voting intentions. In response to the President’s address  during the  budget  session of the Parliament,  Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave an account of the different works undertaken during the last 10 years to attain ‘Viksit Bharat’. During this presentation, PM Modi expressed belief that the Bharatiya Janata Party will win more than 370 seats whereas the National Democratic Alliance will bag more than 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. 

The opinion polls always have a tale to tell. When we look at the Lok Sabha results since 1952 and the results in the last three decades, we will see how the texture of Indian politics has changed considerably. The focus of Lok Sabha elections has changed and the issues that are spoken about during election campaigns have also changed. In short, the basic structure of national politics has transcended from considerations like religion and caste to development of the  country. And if this change brought about by the new leaders has to be evaluated, we will have to dive in and see how the mindset of Indian voters has also changed over a period of time. 

For a very long time, the socialist and communist ideologies under the leadership of Congress remained at the helm of affairs for the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress, socialist and communist ideology leaders ensured that instead of being proud of their country, the common man was forced to live under the influence of the West.  As a result, despite possessing immense capabilities, India could not achieve the desired progress as compared  to the other nations for a very long time even after independence. The Congress, Socialists and the Communists always took pride in flaunting India’s poverty on the global stage. There were deliberate attempts to prevent Indians from participating in competitions with their  counterparts from the developed nations. And  hence, despite having the intent to work hard and achieve success, India never climbed the development ladder.

But today, things are changing. Modi government’s concept of comprehensive development with the use of modern  technology is bringing about the change  expected by the common man, thus making his government a ‘people-oriented’ one. India became the fifth largest economy in the world surpassing England that had once ruled nearly half the world for a long time. Indian voter is experiencing a  changed scenario and I have no doubt  that this will reflect in the upcoming Lok Sabha results.

In response to the President’s address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did a ‘Panchanama’ of Congress’s regime that had  lasted for the longest duration in the country. This irked many. In the Parliament, Modi  expressed  confidence that the Bharatiya  Janata  Party will win more than 370 seats.  Many news channels published their opinion poll results. A channel claimed that the National Democratic Alliance is expected to win 335 seats whereas the  BJP will win 304 seats. In fact, in 2014 and 2019, contrary to the polls, the BJP had won more seats. And this time too, history is likely to repeat. 

During 2019 elections, even the learned pundits did not predict BJP to win more than 300 seats. Another media outlet polls had suggested that the Bharatiya Janata Party will cross the 300-mark. Nearly 64 per cent voters had preferred Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. Today, Matrix NC poll estimates that the Bharatiya  Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance will win 366 seats. But I am sure that when results will be declared, BJP would have won more than 370 seats.

From 1984 to 2014, no party could win a majority in the Lok Sabha elections on its own. In 2014 elections, voters had shown unprecedented faith in Narendra Modi’s leadership and the BJP won 282 seats. In 2019 elections, voters’ confidence in Narendra Modi’s leadership had increased. Since 2014, we can see a decisive change in the priorities of the Indian voters. Owing to Modi’s governance in the last 10 years, voters  feel that  Narendra Modi only must continue to be in power. 

During the tenure of Pandit Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, crores of rupees were also spent on welfare schemes for the  poor by the central government. But the number of actual beneficiaries was quiet less as the middlemen in the administrative set up used to siphon off the funds allocated for the welfare of the poor. Now, in the last 10 years, government’s  financial assistance is directly getting deposited in the bank accounts without the  beneficiaries having to frequently visit government offices. People are still unable to believe that this was possible in India.

Extending financial support to the underprivileged is government’s attempt at bringing them into the mainstream of country’s development.  We saw ordinary youths become entrepreneurs, thanks to schemes like Mudra Yojana. People from the grassroot, even those  from the deprived sections are proud as they have also become a part of the process of construction of ‘Naya Bharat’. Voters’ preference is to bring Modi government back to power for the third time and undoubtedly,  this success story of development of the last 10 years will be manifested in the form of ‘Maha Vijay’ for the BJP in the upcoming elections.

 

 

(Article Pre-Published in Times of India Online – 13 February 2024)

Keshav Upadhye, Chief Spokesperson