India enters election year: How field is shaping up as 2024 Lok Sabha Polls countdown begins

The countdown for 2024 General Elections has begun as India enters one of the most interesting years in the history of Indian democracy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, eyeing a third term, enters 2024 looking confident of his party’s chances of winning the Lok Sabha Elections. On the other hand, Congress-led UPA has been reborn as the INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) consortium which aims to challenge the BJP-led NDA’s (National Democratic Alliance) dominance over the last decade.

With the turn of the year, the Indian political landscape transitions from the December 2023 Assembly Elections in 5 states dubbed “Lok Sabha polls semi-finals” to the January 2024 upcoming inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, expected to supercharge the incumbent government’s campaign for reelection.

The BJP and PM Modi led NDA is aiming for a 50 percent vote share this time and has launched an ambitious strategy to improve on its 353 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections landslide win. The UPA had won 91 and the revamped 28-party INDIA will be hoping for a significantly better performance this time but has a number of challenges before it can even think of a close contest with the well-oiled BJP electoral machinery in May. 

As we enter 2024 and officially begin the countdown for the Lok Sabha elections, here’s a quick explainer on how the field is shaping up:

PM Modi eyes a third term: The BJP-led NDA reelection campaign unsurprisingly focuses on the PM. Their “Modi ki guarantee” slogan was successful in giving them a 3-1 win against Congress in the recent Assembly polls. His larger influence and credibility among a vast section of voters is again expected to be a key factor.

BJP kickstarts mission 2024: In a December 22 meeting at BJP headquarters, the party set the 50 percent vote share target and set the tone for the run up to the polls. The BJP will be holding cluster meetings which will be addressed by the likes of PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and BJP President JP Nadda. The party will target new voters with 5000 Yuva Morcha conferences across India starting from January 15. 

Challenges ahead for INDIA alliance: From seat-sharing arrangements, no PM face and inter-party conflict points like caste census, it is a long road ahead for INDIA alliance to be election ready. INDIA has held four meetings till now. Expect some more as they sort things out.

BJP’s communication: The BJP is likely to highlight the successful initiatives under PM Modi. This includes the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the Pardhan Mantri Awas Yojna, Chandrayaan 3 mission success, Digital India campaign. However, the party’s messaging around the Ram Mandir establishment in Ayodhya could be the highlight of the campaign. 

PM Modi vs Who? INDIA alliance partners TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal backed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. But Kharge has said that the PM face can be decided post elections. No certain or probable name against PM Modi could prove decisive in favour of the BJP.

(With inputs from ANI)