The outcome of elections in India is otherwise least surprising. But it is stunning so far as the landslide victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the leadership of Narendra Modi is concerned. It is an appalling defeat for the ruling Congress Party, India's grand old party. This has gone far beyond what the poll surveys had earlier predicted. Mr. Modi will be the first Prime Minister to lead a party with an absolute parliamentary majority since 1984. Aged 63, he would also be the first Indian prime minister born after its independence in 1947. What has catapulted Mr. Modi and his party into such a stellar position will continue to be discussed and analysed in depth, both within India and outside it, in the coming days. However, the results of voting, announced on Friday, do clearly indicate that millions of young Indians have thrown their weight behind the BJP under Mr. Modi's leadership for governing the world's largest democracy.
The Indian people, in general, largely became fed up with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for its policy paralysis, endemic corruption, blatant favouritism, patronisation of crony capitalism and thus mal-governance. Anti-incumbency factor has worked heavily against the UPA. Against this backdrop, Mr. Modi and his BJP have proved their superior skill to cash in on the situation. They have played down exclusively Hindu causes that the BJP has otherwise been espousing since long, much to the dismay and chagrin of Indian liberals, secularists and left forces, particularly considering the ignominious communal riots in 2002 in Gujarat when Mr. Modi had just become its chief minister.
People's verdict in India's election for its 16th parliament, with voting having been conducted in nine phases over a period of 35 days and having witnessed the highest turnout of voters in past three decades, has been quite clear -- a strong and resounding 'yes' for BJP and a vast 'no' to Congress. This has largely reflected the will of 840 million voters. The rest of the world eagerly waited for the electoral results in India, South Asia's largest country and the world's second largest one, in terms of the size of its population. India has also shown otherwise its bright promises of becoming an emerging economic power, besides demonstrating its growing influence and power in other areas. All these are matters of consequence for the rest of the world, notwithstanding many odds, pressures, fissures and difficulties that face India on its domestic turf. For Bangladesh and other South Asian countries, developments in India are of immense consequence. These have a bearing on this region's peace, stability, harmony and economic progress as well as cooperation in the mutuality of common interests on the basis of sovereign equality.
While holding power at the national level in India, Mr. Modi will, of course, be shouldering a great deal of responsibility. The real challenges now lie ahead. In all likelihood, he will find it a really formidable task to prove himself as being a man of different political mettle to mean business about his "pledge of toilets before temples". If he reverts, as many of his critics in India fear about his doing, to his so-called Hindu nationalist roots relegating a myriad of India's social and economic realities to the background, that will cause disillusionment among the people sooner rather than later. But certainly Mr. Modi understands the pulse and mood of his people much better than many of his contemporaries. He has faced many heady circumstances in his long political career. He has matured a lot over the years, having steely determination. For Mr. Modi it is time to deliver - and deliver convincingly for a change for the better, proving his critics wrong.
