First a disclaimer, I am neither a political analyst nor any political propogandist! This narrative is based on my perception, understanding and experiences as an Indian citizen who has closely witnessed the national political snobbery of last one decade and have felt it’s reverberations on the state. The results of elections are out, and it is a mixed bag of shock and surprises for those who contested, and their political devotees. The poll pundits have got all their exit poll predictions and calculations wrong, and some Psephologists were seen openly weeping in embarrassment in panel discussions being televised.
Notwithstanding Narendra Modi’s personal charisma, his team’s collective A++ report card, the barrage of offensive and humiliating attributions heaped on the opponents, his party’s aggressive campaign projecting him as statesman beyond compare, and a leader with global appeal and endorsement; the Indian electorate was unambiguously clear about its problems and priorities. They decided that this air of invincibility and indispensability had to be clarified and purified, and that was clear in their voting pattern.
The ruling dispensation’s overconfidence about ‘charso paar’ has been shattered, and in fact now they are compelled to use crutches of Chandrababu and Nitish babu, who will undoubtedly negotiate hard for key portfolios. The victory speech at the headquarters hardly looked like one, and the disappointment was written large on faces of the ‘victorious’. Of course, the bravado had to be there to boost the morale of the cadre and the party loyalists.
The opposition led by the Congress has got a shot in the arm as never before after the 2014 debacle, and by winning both the seats in Raebareli and Wayanad by emphatic margins; the incessantly ridiculed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has delivered a punch on the nose of those who underrated him as ‘Shehzada’ of the self-anchored dynastic family at best and, ‘Pappu’ at worst , alleging that he knows little about country’s political pulse and that he is a ‘part-time politician’ who flies to exotic destinations in the midst of political crisis in his party.
The BJP’s cyber team had left no stone unturned to show this tenacious man in shades of eccentricity and stupidity. His disqualification as member of Lok Sabha in March 2023, freezing of party bank accounts, intimidations using state agencies did not deter him from braving organised antagonism, and he chose to connect with masses across country through his ‘Bharat Jodo’ and ‘Nyay Yatras’ with little paraphernalia of authority and security, despite threats to his life. He mixed freely with common people, hugging them, shaking hands, sipping tea, and exchanging unpretentious smiles. His road shows were not extravagant nor orchestrated to that mega scale and there were no barricades between him and the ones who desired to meet him. His spontaneous filial affection towards his old and ailing mother and sibling camaraderie with sister Priyanka also touched many hearts. That raw spirit to fight an organised establishment that claimed invincibility, his indelible identity of being an orphan of political terror, and pleasant and affable demeanour touched a chord in the commoners. And that man wearing a trademark white T-shirt and a rather pleasing smile proved that indeed “pappu can dance sala!”
This election was a battle of assertion versus struggle for the right to dissent. It was a tug of war between the unified authoritarian regime that had gripped absolute power and scattered and subdued voices of intellectual liberty. The country having had a taste of a decade of ruling dispensation that certainly made some remarkable progress in areas of development, internal security, international diplomacy and policy reforms with a long-term vision and even hoisted our Indian image higher in global view; but regrettably skidded in areas of public consultancy, transparency in administrative reforms, employment creation, environmental protection and worst of all sidelining intellectuals and demolishing voices of dissent. In their inimitable arrogance riding high on popularity of one single leader at the helm, the fringe leadership roared louder than their entitlement as rulers, almost threatening to erase opposition from a democratic dispensation.
The servile bureaucracy and state instruments towed the line of arrogance obediently without application of mind to earn stripes from their bosses. The Hindu sentiment was consolidated for electoral purpose in the guise of religious nationalism. Ayodhya was the essence and evidence of a religious majoritarian leaning of the government. Despite the antagonism by religious pontiffs and the work having been barely anywhere close to completion as I realised during my visit to the holy site on 31st May 2024, the extravagant inaugural by PM Modi was orchestrated to appease the major faith across the Indian territory for electoral gains. But shockingly for the ‘Bulldozer baba’ and his party bosses; losing the prestigious Ayodhya seat by a clear deficit of 54,000 votes is a combo of political trauma and embarrassment that BJP will have to deal with for a long time to come. It clearly sent forth a message to the ‘Chanakya’ of the ruling dispensation, that for the voters livelihood guarantee, shelter and food security come before faith and political fidelity.
The new government cannot afford to be a clone of its arrogant predecessor, it shall have to accommodate its allies and be supportive of their regional agenda. Most of all, the house will have a deafening roar and echo of opposition this time, which cannot simply be ignored or overruled. Let us pray that the Prime Minister does the balancing act with his political prudence accrued over his two consecutive terms and caution the bureaucracy to be equally sensitive to, humble and respectful of the common citizens.
Author is a senior academic and a reputed Biologist
