Why BJP can't say by-poll results don't matter
The buzzword in India’s political discourse in the past few days has been “by-poll”. Television news channels are full of it and everybody who knows even a little about politics is giving an opinion. By-polls have been a regular feature in our country as they are a part of our democratic constitutional setup and take place because of reasons defined by our electoral process.
But the main reason behind the latest buzz could be that the incumbent NDA government, led by the BJP, that won the 2014 Lok Sabha election with a huge mandate, is now beginning to lose many Lok Sabha seats in the by-polls.
After 2014, the BJP and its allies had begun to think and behave like they were invincible and nobody could defeat them, and that a resounding victory in the forthcoming 2019 general elections was a foregone conclusion. The attitude of the elected representatives and the party turned — and continues to be — extremely arrogant. The same party that also managed to win many state elections post-2014 is now finding it difficult to hold onto its seats in the by-polls held in different states in the past few months.
So, be it the Lok Sabha or the Vidhan Sabha, the BJP and its allies are now staring at difficult times. The so-called self-popularised “tsunami” looks like a thing of the past and maybe a one-time phenomenon.
This change in the voters’ decision has taken such parties by surprise, but the truth is that all that is occurring now was waiting to happen because though the BJP and its allies won’t accept it, the fact of the matter is, they brought this situation upon themselves. They made all kinds of promises that they could not and cannot fulfil.
They drilled it into the minds of the people that they were the saviours of our country but unfortunately for the people who voted for them, it turned out to be what is now termed as “jumlas”.
With defeat after defeat in the by-polls, the incumbent government and the party that leads it are now faced with the challenge of defending all their wrongdoings. They are now trying to convince the electorate that what the opposition is attempting to portray about them is false and malicious propaganda. The truth is that they are now getting a taste of their own medicine — which they are finding very bitter.
The difference between the two is, what the BJP did in 2014 was fool the people into believing that the then incumbent government was not capable to run the country and what the Opposition is now stating is the truth and the fact is, this government is actually the one that is incapable of governance.
In defence of this loss, the leaders, spokespersons of BJP, its allies and also their sympathisers have now come up with a narrative which sounds very absurd and appears to be a weak defence. What they have begun to say is: “By-poll results do not mean anything, they are just local sentiments and moods of the people… when the general elections take place, people will vote for a government at the Centre.”
This narrative only appears to be a face-saver because at the end of it all, these are the same voters who chose the BJP when it had won, albeit during the general election, but now they are the very people who are rejecting them. So the question that arises is: Why does a by-poll election not matter or make a difference?
The attitude that “a few loses do not matter” is going to prove costly for the NDA in the future, because slowly but steadily they are losing their seats around the country in all forms of elections and this is also setting the ground for their downfall in future polls.
They know that the nation is slowly rejecting them but their arrogance and ego is not — and will not — allow them to accept facts. This is a good sign not just for the Opposition but also for the country. For the voters, it is an opportunity to bring back a new government that will serve and govern them well; for the Opposition, it is time to unite and come together to win the confidence of the people of our country and once elected, serve according to the people’s expectations so that the voters realise that they have made a better choice for their future — what they did in 2014 will not be repeated ever again.
(Spokesperson for Maharashtra NCP.)