There is a unique interpretation being made of the general election results in India, which were declared on Tuesday. The runners-up are having a party, while the winners seem to be taking it easy.
With more than 290 seats in the 543-member parliament, the NDA alliance, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has won a historic third term in power.
However, his Bharatiya Janata Party was unable to secure the necessary 272 seats to form the government on its own, and as a result, the prime minister is currently viewed as having significantly less power.
The result is being viewed as a “huge comeback” for Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party and the “unofficial mascot” of the opposition INDIA alliance. A political analyst compared this to fictitious “Brazil versus Bangladesh footbal match in which Bangladesh lost 2-3.” “It
Political analysts say that it’s an extraordinary story. The outcome is unexpected. The opposition has succeeded in pulling off an unexpected move.
The ruling was hailed by a triumphant Congress party as “a moral and political defeat for Mr. Modi,” as their party had focused much of its campaign on his reputation and track record. At a news conference on Tuesday night, Mr. Gandhi stated, “the nation has unanimously sent a message to Mr. Modi and [Home Minister] Amit Shah that we do not want you.” This joy is accompanied by a setting.
With over twenty-two different regional parties in the Congress-led INDIA bloc, the opposition looked completely disorganized and on the verge of collapse heading into the election. When Mr. Modi appeared to be unstoppable, experts questioned if it was appropriate to challenge him.
And the opposition had an increasingly difficult task as the election drew near. Government agencies conducted raids on political parties and leaders; two chief ministers, including Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal, were imprisoned; and income-tax authorities frozen the bank accounts of the Congress party.
The widely criticised scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, Mr. Gandhi, deserves most of the credit for the opposition’s performance. Jawaharlal Nehru, his great-grandfather, was India’s first and longest-serving prime minister. His father and grandmother were PMs as well.
Gandhi is a fifth generation dynast and came with a lot of historical baggage. He faced extreme hostility from India’s mainstream media, and he was dismissed by social media. He was singled out and painted as a lighthearted politician who overindulged in vacation time.
But he overcome the difficulties and has made a concerted effort in the past few years to alter the public’s perception of him and his party.
“He met millions of people throughout the country on his Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Nyay March, which increased his stature and garnered him a lot of support. It also offered him political weight and confidence.
The BJP became a little conceited and complacent. And their use of fear and intimidation to subdue the opposition backfired against the BJP and resulted in the creation of the INDIA bloc.
The opposition saw echoes of Emergency in the way the government was functioning and were afraid they would be wiped out. And that led to a verdict which wasn’t really in favour of the BJP but for a coalition.
