The BJP itself is attributing its win in Uttar Pradesh to Narendra Modi. As Prime Minister, Modi has shown a considerable amount of rhetorical skill, especially in UP. It was important for his party to cinch this election in particular, because it was a crucial stepping stone to upcoming challenges: including the Rashtrapati elections this year, as well as the 2019 Parliamentary elections. Modi’s personal involvement in the UP and the defeat of other parties will make an impact on national politics. To be self-critical, the presence of the Left has been weak in these states. Now whether the entire country is surfing the Modi wave or not, is a different question altogether.
Punjab and Manipur are definitely not. The UP election was a win due to several factors and polarisation of the people by the PM’s polemic skill was one of them. The BJP manifesto on mandirs and the ‘shamshan-kabristan’ comment has pushed the public discourse in a certain direction. Since the PM came into power, the RSS has been acting as an extra-constitutional body, and this year it will emerge more powerful than ever. Now time will tell whether voters in UP will continue to stay with him or not.
—D Raja, National Secretary, CPI, Member or Parliament
Narendra Modi ji’s charisma and commitment to gareeb kalyan as well as a corruption-free India is what contributed to his victory in UP. The poor finally feel that there is a leader who represents them and cares about their needs, which is reinforced by more than 100 yojanas brought in for them. With the help of BJP president Amit Shah, the PM has been showing us that the government wants what the people want. This has been a win for the people of UP, the college students, the professionals too. Critics can say what they please, but our job is to deliver. Modijis ‘bhashans’ are not empty rhetoric, they are a commitment to what he will deliver on the ground.
Shrikant Sharma,
—National Secretary, BJP
PM Modi has ensured that a saffron wave has entered the northeastern states. The results of the elections where BJP has gone from zero to near the halfway mark are purely because of PM Modi’s charisma. The BJP’s prospects in Manipur were lifted considerably after the Prime Minister’s s rally in Lanjing some days before the state went to the polls. There is no denying his appeal across regions.
Nongthombam Biren Singh,
—Manipur BJP leader
The Modi wave is undoubtable, and the win in UP was not a BJP win but a Narendra Modi win. Secondly, every election is not about the performance of the winner, but the external situation as well, which includes competition. In UP this was weak. In Bihar, Nitish had been doing a good job and held his ground. In Punjab, Amarinder Singh played the polls to his advantage as well, by riding a general resentment against the Gandhi family. This should be a lesson to the Congress for the future. Thirdly, demonetization, which could have gone either way, was an asset in UP. The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were hurt by it, but this was overshadowed by the resentment towards the rich and an urgent desire to hold them accountable for their fortunes.
—Dipankar Gupta, Sociologist and public intellectual
As told to Dipshikha Ghosh
