- Vincent Kundukulam
Two phases of Loka Sabha elections are over by today. The political parties are fully immersed in deploying new methods to woo the voters in the following phases. They change the electoral discourses in the light of the feed-back they receive from the different parts of the country. Researchers are also keen on observing the weak and strong features of electoral campaigns that are conducted by the main parties – BJP and Congress – along with their alliances. A group of scholars indicate the following three elements as the strong points of NDA electoral game.
The first and foremost strength of NDA is nothing but the leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi, which is tactfully built up by BJP through the post-truth devices. BJP has somehow succeeded in projecting Mr. Narendra Modi as the unifying force for the party during the moments of crises that often emerge from the inner- party fights or the anti-incumbency sentiments in the states. The repeated slogan of “Modi ka Garandi” which we hear in most of the electoral campaigns shows how much BJP relies upon the “Modi effect” for its electoral successes. In this regard, the social scientists don’t ignore the role played by the Home Minister, Mr. Amit Shah. Acting wholly obedient to Modi, he succeeded in silencing the voice of the dissidents and controlled the discords at grass-roots, which could have undermined the unity of the party.
The second factor in favour of BJP is its organizational strength. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its filial organizations help the party to remain connected with the electorate by giving pompous propaganda about its services during the covid-19 period, its relief works for the tribals and Dalits and the progress it made in economy, science and technology. They take to the people the initiatives of the central government and create a great trust them towards BJP. Besides, the Sangh Parivar movements continuously feed the Hindu voters by disseminating Hindutva ideology and Hindu sentiments whenever opportunities fall in. The criticism of Dravida Munnetra Kzhakam against Sanatana Dharma and the construction and consecration of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya were such instances that the Sangh used to consolidate Hindu votes.
The third powerful weapon of BJP is the ability to take credit of the welfare programmes. The BJP governments at the centre and in the state have a set of welfare programmes like Ladli Behna scheme, Ladli Laxmi Yojana and Kisan Kalyan Yojana. They create trust among the electorate. People start to think that BJP is a pro-woman, pro-farmer, pro-Dalit and pro-Adivasi party. The distribution of cycle to school girls and the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah projects seem to address the concern of a significant section of woman voters. The media department of BJP is so powerful that it succeeds in transforming people’s appeal for BJP into votes.
- kundu1962@gmail.com
