Indian by-elections: \\\"Modi Magic\\\" on the wane

Outcome of the last Saturday's by-elections to several federal and state assembly elections in India has left a message - the "Modi Wave" is on the decline and no longer attracts the electorate in the manner it did hardly less than five months ago. Evidently, this has made the South Block sit up and engage in a soul-searching - as to what has gone wrong in such a short time!
The "Magic" that Narendra Modi so admirably demonstrated during the last national elections in April/May, this year, is now largely missing. Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), riding the crest of popularity and charisma of the leader, swept to power in the world's largest democracy in a stunning fashion. Not only had the party secured an absolute majority by its own strength in the lower house of parliament - the Lok Sabha - a feat achieved by any political party in last three decades, but also enjoyed unassailable majority with the allies.
The results of the national polls belied all predictions. The BJP, seen by many as a Hindu nationalist party with a communal image, promised "clean and efficient governance" under the new prime minister.
The ten-year rule by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in two consecutive terms is often considered lacklustre and ridden by corruption and incompetence, particularly during the last term.
The BJP took full advantage of the "mess" created by the UPA government. However, though the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been able to give an impression that it is shaking off corruption and lethargy in running the government, it seems to be grappling with myriad problems, particularly in the economic front.
It appears that the people want speedy delivery of the promises and pledges made during the electioneering and only assurances are not enough to satisfy their impatience.
Three federal and 33 state assembly constituencies went to the by-elections and the BJP has been able to win one-third of them, which is a setback for it. Of the three Lok Sabha seats, the party has won only one and this is the seat vacated by Prime Minister Modi in his native Gujarat state.
Two others were won by the Samajwadi party, one in Uttar Pradesh and another in newly formed Telengana state. The BJP had a near landslide victory in the national elections in Uttar Pradesh when it won 71 of the 80 seats in the largest state of India. But, it has failed to win the by-elections.
The BJP cut a sorry figure in the Vidhan Sabha by-elections in Uttar Pradesh when it won only three out of the eleven seats. Rest were captured by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party that lagged far behind the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls barely a few months ago. The BJP won six of the nine state assembly by-elections in Modi's Gujarat state and the rest three went to the Congress which was nowhere near the BJP in the national polls.
Besides, the win of the BJP candidates was no cakewalk as it was during the Lok Sabha voting. The party won all the 25 seats in the Lok Sabha in the Rajsthan state, but in the state assembly by-elections it lost three out of the four seats. Rest were won by the Congress. Elsewhere in the by-elections, BJP managed to win, but not in a convincing manner.
However, the consolation for the BJP is the victory in one of the two assembly by-elections in the Pashchimbanga state, where it was never a force to reckon with except the last Lok Sabha polls when not only it bagged two seats but also succeeded in raising its share of votes.
The party won in the Bashirhat constituency of the state beating state-ruling Trinamool Congress, the Congress and the leftists. The other seat in the state in Chowringee of Kolkata went to the Trinamool, but the BJP came second forcing the Congress and the CPM to third and fourth positions respectively.
The CPM, the main leftist party, maintained its ascendancy in the small Tripura state when it made no mistake in winning the lone Vidhan Sabha seat that went for by-elections.
The unmistakable message of the by-elections is that "Modi Magic" is on the wane and the BJP-led NDA government needs to make up the shortcomings that have come to the fore during its rule in the last few months which, however, is not a long enough time to assess the performance of the new government. But the point is that electorate these days are unwilling to wait long for the performance of the party that they have voted to power.
The outcome of the by-elections would have no effect on the BJP government in the centre which is set to rule for a full five-year term barring unexpected developments. But the message of the by-elections is loud and clear and the ruling alliance needs to heed to this.
[email protected]