On all counts, it has been a great victory for the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial nominee, Narendra Modi, in the 2014 general elections of India. Undoubtedly, the victory was very much on the cards, but what has surprised most people is the extent of the win. The severity of the "Modi wind" has been so intense that the ruling Congress and its allies have collapsed like a house of cards.
It is for the first time since 1984 that the Indian electorate have delivered a clear and strong verdict for a party. When the "coalition culture" of governance has rather become a sine qua non in the political milieu of India, the polls this year have been refreshingly different. The BJP has won an absolute majority on its own in the 543-member "Lokshaba", the lower house of parliament. Together with its allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the party is on a more sound footing. This would definitely help the new government in many ways.
How has this seemingly difficult task been accomplished by the BJP, which had made its maiden presence in the parliament with only two seats in 1984 ?True, it did form the governments before, and secured 182 seats in 1999 and formed the government, under Atal Bihari Vajpyee. But it has raised the tally nearly to the Himalayan height, considering the fact that India has been witnessing unstable and weak governments for the last three decades because of lack of a comfortable majority by any single party in parliament to form a government of its own. The BJP has done it, there can be no iota of doubt that it has really been a landmark achievement. India is the world's biggest democracy and there is no question about transparency of its democratic process as the electoral battles there are fought in a true democratic spirit and that too, in a festive mood. The electorate have spoken for the BJP and one has to honour the verdict, regardless of differences that can crop up on various issues relating to the winner or the losers.
Clearly, the Indians have voted for a "change" as the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has largely frustrated them for the ten years in two terms, especially during its second one. People began getting disillusioned with the ruling alliance, particularly since the last three or four years, as the absence of good governance, coupled with sensational incidents of corruption involving the high-ups and a lack of dynamism in running the government, became the order of the day under Dr. Manmohan Singh's establishment.
A perceived thin but crucial difference between the prime minister and the party and alliance chief, Sonia Gandhi, on matters of governance understandably took much of the wind out of the sails for effective governance. Dr. Manmohan Singh was evidently hamstrung while the scion of the famous "Nehru-Gandhi" political dynasty waited in the wings to become the next prime minister without playing an effective role as such in the party affairs. The impression that he and his mother Sonia wielded considerable power behind the curtain, on the affairs of the government, sent wrong signals that affected the Congress badly. The party has cut such a sorry figure in the voting that it has not only performed in the worst manner in its history, but also lost the right of playing the role of opposition in the parliament. This is because the number of seats it won is less than ten per cent that is required for playing that role. What more sordid could happen to a traditionally strong organisation !
On the contrary, the BJP, despite having its tainted image as a "communal" party, sought to project an image of forming a development-friendly government, about itself. And that kind of government, as the ordinary citizens have perceived the case, will be able to give the countless educated Indians jobs and help accelerate the pace of socio-economic uplift that are urgently needed for its vast multitude of the population. It has effectively identified the failures of the UPA government in economic and other fields and offered, what seemed to be, a 'panacea' to address all such ills.
Narendra Modi, the three-time chief minister of the industrially advanced Gujrat state, could shed to some extent his "infamous image" of being responsible for the 2002 communal riots in the state as he focused more an development issues and good governance. True, the party and its leader have contentious religious agenda as well like the building of the "Ram Temple" in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, but they projected more on the issues that are inextricably linked with people's well-being. "Toilets are a priority than the temples," so Modi said referring to the need for public toilets in a country known for having only scant facilities in this area.
The outcome of the Indian elections is as such a verdict for better future, which the BJP has promised to the voters. People have voted for economy, jobs, law and order that was badly impaired by incidents like the cases of rape in Delhi and elsewhere, spiralling prices of essential commodities etc. Barring the radicals who number poorly, the overwhelming majority of the voters have favoured BJP not for religious matters, but for its welfare-oriented commitments.
Following the announcement of the results of the polls, Modi himself said "good days are ahead" - meaning he would provide the Indians a better life. His main challenge lies in checking inflation, salvaging the dwindling economy, providing a clean administration and last but not the least, taking effective steps for bettering the standards of living that would be distinctly discernible.
Obviously, the new government that is expected to take over on May 21,would confront big challenges to meet the expectations of the people. But it is also unlikely to shy away from undertaking such an exercise even though the task is daunting. At the same breath, this can also be said that the victory of Modi has also caused anxiety and concern over whether India's long-nurtured secularism would be in jeopardy during the rule of the "Hindu nationalist" BJP and its leader, Modi. Fears have also swelled about whether the new government would be "one-eyed" on matters related to the minorities in India, especially the Muslims as some leaders of BJP and its allies are known to be strong Muslim-baiters. It is important for Modi to allay such fears for the sake of multi-religious and multi-lingual democratic India, which he assured the voters to uphold during the campaign, albeit his bias towards the 'Hindutva' spirit.
Several parties, apart from the Congress and its allies, have been blown away by the Modi wind. The newly formed "Aam Admi party" that had earlier caused a sensation by winning in local elections in Delhi, performed disappointingly. But some states like Jayaram Jayalalitha's AIDMK in Tamil Nadu and Mamata Baneerjee's "Trinamul Congress" in West Bengal weathered the "Modi storm" in a sign that shows Modi is not absolute in India. It is critically important that the new government keep this aspect in mind as well while justifiably taking some great comfort from its near-landslide electoral victory.
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