The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has a “herculean task” ahead of them in the country’s national elections next year after seizing control of many important states with an unexpectedly strong showing in local polls.
Analysts and politicians said that the idea that the opposition could mount a serious challenge through a newly formed 28-party alliance led by the party that has ruled India for 54 years since independence from Britain was shattered by Congress’s defeat in all three heartland states, which was announced on Sunday.
Just five months before he would seek a third term in government, it also demonstrated the BJP’s organizational prowess and the attraction of Modi’s presidential-style campaigning, even if he was not on the ticket.
According to Yashwant Deshmukh, a poll specialist with the C-Voter organization, “it looks like there is no stopping Modi after these results,” and it would be a “herculean task” to stop him. Three of the four key states, namely central Rajasthan and Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, saw the BJP win the regional votes.
Riding on a platform of stability and progress, Modi defeated Congress in 2014, accusing them of corruption and bad government. By strengthening the economy, providing more welfare, and promoting an assertive kind of Hindu nationalism, he solidified his triumph and was re-elected in 2019.
According to polls, he is still the favorite to win the 2024 race and is still quite popular.
Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Congress, has been working hard lately to bring the party back to life. In an effort to win over supporters, he organized a 135-day nationwide march, replaced the party’s leadership, and campaigned for the formation of the 28-party alliance known as INDIA.
This year’s Congress triumph in the large southern state of Karnataka was heralded by the party as the start of a resurgence; nevertheless, Sunday’s results caused some introspection inside the party.
Senior Congressman Manish Tewari told Reuters, “We need to go back to the drawing board and seriously assess what really went wrong, why we were not able to get the confidence of people.” “You need a programme which will enthuse people, which will be seen as an alternative” .
The opposition faces various obstacles, one of which is the contentious relationships inside the INDIA alliance.
In state polls, Congress declined to split seats with the Samajwadi Party, a significant regional ally. Congress did not seem “fully committed” to the partnership, Reuters spokeswoman Manoj Kaka told the news agency.
“The future of the alliance is good if the Congress party works on it with full commitment,” he stated.
When asked about the alliance’s future, Gandhi’s close aide and senior Congressman K.C. Venugopal replied that partners would soon hold talks. He refused to go into further detail.
The BJP now anticipates a “massive victory” following Sunday, according to vice president Baijayant Panda of the party.
“The severe bickering among themselves leaves zero hope for this so-called alliance to pose any challenge to the BJP whatsoever,” Panda stated
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