The inherent message of 2023 assembly polls’ mandate

The results of the assembly polls in five states appear to have a subtle message for both the Congress and other opposition parties and the Narendra Modi-led BJP.

BJP, which had, exactly five years back, lost in MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, had swept these states in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls held after six months. Congress, which had won these states then fared dismally there.

This time the situation has witnessed a reversal. It’s the BJP which has swept these states. So will the electorate there give any different verdict in May 2024? The jury is still out.

The election results of 2023 are showing that there has been a huge shift in the politics of the country, some electoral pundits observe.

BJP’s attempts to put forth Modi as a brand has succeeded to a large extent. The three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh are examples of this. Elections were fought in the name of Modi at all three places and at all three places it was proved that if Modi is there then anything is possible.

The big thing for the country's politics is that now Modi's name is vocal even in local areas. This is a big thing for BJP in terms of the war of 2024 because whenever you hold elections between Modi versus someone else, Modi will be defeated.

When it was felt that Vasundhara was the safest bet in Rajasthan, BJP gave her preference. Fielded candidates from his camp. Before the elections, Vasundhara was reassured by removing Satish Punia from the post of president. But kept the mistake to such an extent that no one else gets angry. It is no surprise that names ranging from Om Birla to Gajendra Shekhawat came up as CM.

What was special in this election was that polarization never became a big headline. These elections proved that BJP can win even without polarization. If this trend continues then BJP appears to be a natural winning party. Because if there is no polarization then opposition voters can also come together. So it is possible that these elections will prove to be a changing election at the national level.

In Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Congress could not convince the voters that it was effective even after running the government for five years. On the other hand, BJP has succeeded in convincing MP that its government is effective. The election results show that the slogan of double engine government is effective not only in running the government but also in forming the government. BJP governments have the support of the Centre. On the other hand, Congress governments are alone in the battlefield.