Elections highlights

Though I have already written few posts on elections, I got tempted to write one more! Given below are the highlights of 2014 election. Please note the list is not exhaustive as I am only writing those things which are coming to my mind while I am writing them! So you can expect annexure to this post at a later date!

Let us start with the agenda of the parties. BJP’s agenda was to offer development and good governance to the people under the leadership of NaMo. BJP allies had a common agenda: to convey that they were NaMo’s allies and that is it! Rest of the opposition parties had a combined agenda: to criticize NaMo. They were so insecure and focused on bringing NaMo down that they lost their individuality in the process and ended up doing publicity for NaMo!

I have already done AAP’s AAPraisal in my previous post but just to reiterate they only managed to win four seats and that too in one state and that too not Delhi! Fortunately they fought Punjab election like a state election where they addressed local issues so they were able to garner decent support enabling them to open their account in general elections. Otherwise at national level they got more than a billion thumbs down and that is quite a number! Jaadu was AAP’s symbol but it was BJP which managed to sweep the polls in style! Tough times ahead for AAP with Shazia Ilmi and Capt Gopinath leaving the sinking ship (please notice the word-play here: usage of words ‘Capt’ and ‘ship’!)

Congress prior to the election was competing with BJP to retain power and now it will compete with AIADMK and TMC to at least get opposition leader’s position! Had Congress put in even fraction of the efforts, they used up in criticizing NaMo, to reach out to people and for some genuine work, they would have seen better numbers but lost anyways!

Defeat of people like Nandan Nilekani, Meera Sanyal and many others proves individual capacity is one thing but at the end of the day it is the brand that you work for and represent that matters!

Caste based politics didn’t work in Bihar and UP. Hopefully, this is the end of such politics and not an aberration. People voted for a clear majority helping form a stable government which will not be bound by coalition pressure and will take firm decisions and be responsible for it. It was the best time to be a BJP ally!

NaMo mania had reached such heights that BJP would have ended up winning majority of the seats even in US presidential elections if it went to polls around the same time! NaMo’s intent was quite visible in his rallies where one could see how desperate he was to serve the nation and make India proud. It is a small thing but I believe clarity of thought in his speeches conveyed his message well to the audience. BJP and NaMo’s marketing acumen will become a case-study for future generations