By Dr. Sawraj Singh
In 2014 elections, it was thought that Modi Wave brought the BJP in to power. However, in 2019, the wave seems to have become a tsunami which swept most of India. Only a few states like Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been able to resist this Tsunami. Before the elections many people thought that it would be a very close election because many people were not happy with the demonetization, the GST and the fact that the SP and the BSP joined forces in the UP. Moreover, the Congress party victory in many State Assembly elections made many people think that the Modi wave has subsided.
Very few people expected it to become a tsunami. What could be the possible reasons for this phenomenon? One reason could be that Rahul Gandhi was not perceived as a strong leader like Modi by many people. In all the opinion polls, many more people wanted to see Modi as the Prime Minister compared to Rahul Gandhi. The Pulwama attack helped the BJP a lot. It helped to reinforce people’s perception of Modi as a strong leader. It also helped the BJP to focus on the issue of nationalism and divert attention from the issues like demonetization and the GST.
After the victories in the state elections, the Congress party became complacent and somewhat arrogant. The Congress felt that it can take the BJP on its own whereas, the reality is that none of the parties had the strength to face the BJP by itself. The only chance the opposition had was to make a strait fight between the BJP and the opposition in each and every constituency. Instead of a strait fight it became a triangular fight in many constituencies. We can see the results in Delhi and in the UP.
It has become clear that the elections are a very costly venture. To bear that kind of expenses is beyond the capability of an average person. Having a super rich persons like Ambani on your side can be very helpful in winning the elections. The BJP seems to have out spent the opposition in a big way.
Russia and China also threw their support behind Modi. This enhanced Modi’s stature as an international leader. The opposition did not have a leader of this stature. Russia and China seems to feel that a leader like Modi can provide stable leadership to the country and it will help to maintain stability in the region and the world. They also seem to feel that Modi is likely to continue India’s tilt toward the East.
Then questions about the EVMs continue to linger. I feel that the issues of transparency about these electronic voting machines have not been completely resolved. If we want people’s faith in free and fair elections completely restored then we have to make these machines completely transparent.
I feel that the opposition is still in a state of shock and has not yet completely reflected upon the significance of the results. They need a deep introspection and should try to fully comprehend the causes and effects of this tsunami.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
