For the Nth time the Indian voter has reaffirmed that corruption is not an issue that bothers them and that good governance is not really needed to retain power. What wins elections are big freebies, outlandish promises, getting the caste equations right, liberally loosening the purse strings, being able to sell a positive agenda whether delivered or not, having an iron grip on the media and having a dedicated cadre on the ground. The BJP retained Haryana with Modi hardly campaigning there, almost the same scenario unfolded in Maharashtra yet the saffronists managed a landslide victory. BJP sells dreams to the voters and even if they don't deliver, people still want to dream on. The Congress is only selling the caste census and the Constitution which don't really resonate with the electorate and kneejerk freebie schemes. BJP and their crony capitalists are running the world's biggest kleptocracy masquerading as 'progress and development' but they get away with it. If the non-BJP parties don't revamp their strategies and connect with the next generation of voters on a more visceral level I am afraid the country is moving towards an opposition-mukt Bharat.
