12-29-2007, 06:41 AM
BJP rising
Continuing its victory run in State Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has crowned its decisive wins in Gujarat and Punjab with a 60 per cent sweep of the seats in Himachal Pradesh. As 2007 draws to a close, the BJP and the Congress will surely marvel at the reversal of political fortunes. Three years ago, the BJP was a demoralised loser to a Congress basking in the afterglow of two major triumphs â in the May 2004 Lok Sabha election and in the October 2004 Maharashtra Assembly contest. Today with three successive Assembly election wins, the BJP has not just wiped off the ignominy of the 2004 defeats. It seems to have stolen a march over its rival with a maximum of 18 months left for the 15th general election. The Congressâ abysmal performance in Himachal Pradesh came as no surprise, and as much is evident from the partyâs stoic acceptance of the verdict. Unlike in Gujarat, the party made no tall claims here. In an all too familiar story, the State unit was riven by factionalism and the administration was perceived to be corrupt, inefficient, and lacking the political will to counter the adverse effects of price rise and anti-incumbency. For the BJP, the electoral hat-trick could not have come at a better time â with Lal Krishna Advani positioned as the partyâs shadow Prime Minister.
Just where did the Congress go wrong? Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have a history of rejecting incumbent regimes. But in Gujarat, even this fig leaf was not available to a party whose only selling point was the Gandhi family charisma. Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul drew big crowds in Gujarat. Nevertheless, the party lost all seven Assembly seats in the Surat Lok Sabha constituency. In the aftermath of the Gujarat debacle, it held its customary introspection session only to absolve mother and son of all blame. A similar ritual can be expected to follow the Himachal rout. Ms Gandhiâs commitment to secularism and social democracy and her political skills are not in question. After all, she put in place the 2004 winning combination. Yet to regain lost ground, the Congress needs far more than Ms Gandhiâs helmswomanship. It needs a reformed party organisation, a new unity of purpose, and, above all, a fighting secular spirit that distinguishes it from the BJP and a socio-economic programme that is responsive to mass deprivation and livelihood issues. <b>The party leading the Central government will count on doing well in 2008 by tapping into anti-incumbency sentiment in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. It may also hope to do well in Karnataka. What it cannot afford to do is underestimate the tenacity, mobilising capacity, and alliance-forging and tactical skills of the BJP, which in recent months has determinedly put its house in order.</b>
Continuing its victory run in State Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has crowned its decisive wins in Gujarat and Punjab with a 60 per cent sweep of the seats in Himachal Pradesh. As 2007 draws to a close, the BJP and the Congress will surely marvel at the reversal of political fortunes. Three years ago, the BJP was a demoralised loser to a Congress basking in the afterglow of two major triumphs â in the May 2004 Lok Sabha election and in the October 2004 Maharashtra Assembly contest. Today with three successive Assembly election wins, the BJP has not just wiped off the ignominy of the 2004 defeats. It seems to have stolen a march over its rival with a maximum of 18 months left for the 15th general election. The Congressâ abysmal performance in Himachal Pradesh came as no surprise, and as much is evident from the partyâs stoic acceptance of the verdict. Unlike in Gujarat, the party made no tall claims here. In an all too familiar story, the State unit was riven by factionalism and the administration was perceived to be corrupt, inefficient, and lacking the political will to counter the adverse effects of price rise and anti-incumbency. For the BJP, the electoral hat-trick could not have come at a better time â with Lal Krishna Advani positioned as the partyâs shadow Prime Minister.
Just where did the Congress go wrong? Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have a history of rejecting incumbent regimes. But in Gujarat, even this fig leaf was not available to a party whose only selling point was the Gandhi family charisma. Sonia Gandhi and son Rahul drew big crowds in Gujarat. Nevertheless, the party lost all seven Assembly seats in the Surat Lok Sabha constituency. In the aftermath of the Gujarat debacle, it held its customary introspection session only to absolve mother and son of all blame. A similar ritual can be expected to follow the Himachal rout. Ms Gandhiâs commitment to secularism and social democracy and her political skills are not in question. After all, she put in place the 2004 winning combination. Yet to regain lost ground, the Congress needs far more than Ms Gandhiâs helmswomanship. It needs a reformed party organisation, a new unity of purpose, and, above all, a fighting secular spirit that distinguishes it from the BJP and a socio-economic programme that is responsive to mass deprivation and livelihood issues. <b>The party leading the Central government will count on doing well in 2008 by tapping into anti-incumbency sentiment in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. It may also hope to do well in Karnataka. What it cannot afford to do is underestimate the tenacity, mobilising capacity, and alliance-forging and tactical skills of the BJP, which in recent months has determinedly put its house in order.</b>