In the aftermath of Lok Sabha Elections 2024, a dent seemed to appear in the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and whispers of an imminent change in the central leadership wafted through the political corridors and in the Supreme Court too. But all that has changed now after the results of elections in the states of Haryana and Maharashtra which have reiterated the fact that public still has faith in the leadership of PM Modi. Now the INDIA bloc has to return to the drawing board for its homework to compete against PM Narendra Modi who has once again appeared two steps ahead of the Opposition. In fact, the Maharashtra election results have provided the BJP a tremendous boost for the upcoming elections in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, due to be held in the next 16-17 months.
The unprecedented victory for the NDA in Maharashtra has silenced the voices of all pressure groups who were claiming that the people here were unhappy because of some vital projects being shifted in favour to Gujarat which were intended for Maharashtra. This victory has ensured a win-win situation for PM Modi who was perceived as being in a defensive mode due to the Adani issue at present and the inevitable Manipur on continuous boil. He has turned out to be a real winner of the people’s faith today.
The long legacy of a seasoned politician like Sharad Pawar is on the decline in Maharashtra and it has been rendered diminutive in this election. His family’s infighting was well exploited by the BJP and the same happened to the divided Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena. A huge blow to family politics in Maharashtra has left no ground for some leaders to stand upon. It is quite evident, people may like it or not, that PM Modi is not relinquishing the reins in the near future.
On the other hand the Congress needs to do a lot. INC has to start from its own kitchen cabinet. Leaders like KC Venugopal are being termed irrelevant for Madhya and Uttar Bharat; rather, all Hindi-speaking states, but are heavyweights in policy decisions. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has united a good portion of voters of Congress with his Bharat Jodo Yatra and that was perceptible in the Lok Sabha results of 2024.
But apart from Rahul Gandhi no other tall leader has chipped in or led from the front. A large group of good leaders like Dr Shashi Tharoor, Pawan Khera, Deepender Hooda, Sachin Pilot etc who enjoy mass support and are popular amongst public and youth at national level are forced to sit idle and are not being given a chance or given strong support to prove their mettle.
Another glaring example is of Sandeep Dikshit and Alka Lamba in Delhi, as they are in irrelevant positions or should I say no positions, rendered without teeth, not suitable for Delhi politics. Instead of giving them a chance to initiate leadership among the cadre, the Congress High Command chose fair-weather politicians like Arvinder Lovely who was appointed Delhi Congress chief. He went back to the BJP and left the Congress High Command red-faced.
My congratulations to PM Modi for his continuous victorious spree and regaining the public’s confidence even after a decade of his service at the Centre.
Ilin Saraswat is an advocate at the Supreme Court of India. X: @IamAttorneyILIN
