Even a united opposition is unlikely to stop the BJP juggernaut in 2019
Adversity lays the foundation for friendships, and the setbacks suffered by political parties have often been the ground for opportunistic alliances. Like the BJP’s strong show in Karnataka forcing the nemeses—the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular)—to come together. Earlier in March, a similar alliance in Uttar Pradesh between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party had jolted the BJP in the Lok Sabha bypolls.
For the opposition, the new arrangement between the Congress and the JD(S) is a bright spot, a trend which many non-BJP parties hope to continue. It is also the biggest challenge that the BJP would face in the Lok Sabha elections next year. In Karnataka, the Congress and the JD(S) together got 56 per cent votes. It was the division of their votes that helped the BJP win 26 seats more than the Congress, despite getting 2 per cent less vote share.
It is hard to overstate how Narendra Modi helped the BJP in Karnataka. The prime minister carpetbombed the state with 21 campaign rallies in ten days. A similar forceful Modi campaign saved the party the blushes in the assembly elections in Gujarat in January.
The BJP’s good show in Karnataka has energised its chances in south India, which accounts for 130 Lok Sabha seats. The saffron party hopes to do better in Tamil Nadu and Kerala with its strategic alliances. And, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, it has been building a reputation as the main opposition party. “They said the BJP is a party of Hindi-speaking states,” said Modi in his thanksgiving speech after the Karnataka results were announced. “Are Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, the northeastern states Hindispeaking? No. The BJP represents India and our proud diversity.”
This story is from the May 27, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the May 27, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.
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