Brij Bhardwaj
newsagency12@gmail.com
A new chapter has been written in the history of India with BJP winning elections in two states and one union territory in the poll held for four States and a union territory.
The victory in Assam was on expected lines while a sweep in West Bengal was a surprise, as not only did the BJP win but it secured a two third majority by winning over 200 seats in the State Assembly where it was expected to be a close contest. Another surprise was victory of Vijay, a film star turned politician who in his first attempt not only secured over thirty per cent of votes polled but also headed the single largest party by winning 107 seats in the State assembly.
The ruling DMK came second while AIADMK, which had aligned with the BJP, secured the third position. The surprise was the defeat of two Tamilian parties which had been in power alternately for a long time. The BJP, by winning Assam and West Bengal, has established its credentials as an all-India party and can no longer be called a party of Hindi speaking States. Its mule now covers the entire country with the exception of the south.
The BJP, which suffered a setback in the Lok Sabha poll in 2024 as it could not win a simple majority and had to align itself with TDP and Janata Dal to secure a majority, has now consolidated its position. It has not only won Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, but also Maharashtra and Bihar. By adding West Bengal it has become a formidable force.
It is established that the Congress, after a series of defeats, is no match to the BJP in fighting elections. To this list now we can add regional parties also following upsets in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The recent polls have also established that the policy of giving freebies like allowances for women or other benefits like unemployment allowance are no guarantee that parties will be voted to power.
The states of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu were leaders in this respect. It was argued that they have consolidated women voters by giving them the same for several years, but it did not work as women voted for the BJP, which promised better governance and safety.
The BJP’s promise of bringing about new industries to the states alongside more employment and action against infiltration appealed to voters. The party which started with few seats in Assembly over a period of ten years has now won two third seats. Its formidable election machinery headed by full time workers of RSS created a base on which a foundation was built.
A big role was also played by the Election Commission and the Union Government by assuring a peaceful and orderly poll by posting Central forces in large numbers. West Bengal elections which had been always known for clashes and bomb blasts in which there were large numbers of deaths were orderly and peaceful this time.
There was however one flaw: a large number of voters, nearly 27 lakhs, could not vote because of adjudication. There was, however, record polling which showed large public participation.
There are lessons to be learnt. Let us hope revision of the voters list in future is done in time so that no one is deprived of his right to vote. As for opposition parties they should go back to the drawing board and understand that to win polls free bites are not enough and they have to have alternative plans of development to defeat the ruling party.
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