Even though dates for the 2024 elections are yet to be confirmed, the BJP is on a winning spree in the recent Upper House elections. The latest round of Rajya Sabha elections saw blatant cross-voting by MLAs on a major scale, endangering the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh and embarrassing the Samajwadi Party in UP. Defections have become the theme of politics, upsetting the mandate given by the people to their representatives and bringing standards to newer lows. Prime Minister Narendra Modi proudly boasts to the world about the essence of Indian democracy. However, what the nation witnessed during the Rajya Sabha voting is an antithesis of what the world understands as democracy. The BJP has perfected the art of engineering defections in its political rivals, especially the Congress through the notorious 'Operation Lotus.' The party ensures the defecting MLAs escape the impact of the anti-defection law by making them resign from the Assembly, subsequently reducing the government to a minority. The BJP’s latest success is proof of its adaptability and astute political strategy. After all, in modern times, political expediency is everything, giving less importance to moral values, ideologies and loyalties.
