Shunned, stunned

THE rank failure of the Opposition to offer a credible and durable alternative to the electorate paved the way for another landslide victory for the BJP-led NDA in the Lok Sabha elections. The much-touted mahagathbandhan never really materialised. The Congress and other parties were unable to stitch up a pre-poll alliance with an undisputed leader who could match Narendra Modi stride for stride. There were at least four prime ministerial hopefuls: Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu and Mayawati. The last three, all regional satraps, were eyeing a larger-than-life role on the national stage. Naidu, who unreasonably projected himself as the glue that could bind not-so-like-minded groups, suffered a debacle on his own home turf. The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister lost power — and face too — as his Telugu Desam Party was routed by Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party in the Assembly as well as parliamentary elections.

Ironically, the main Opposition party — the Congress — was decimated even in states in the Hindi heartland where it had won the Assembly polls less than six months ago: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The Grand Old Party did pretty well in Punjab and Kerala, two states where it has a robust organisational set-up and popular leaders such as Capt Amarinder Singh and Oommen Chandy. Another saving grace for the party was Tamil Nadu, where it partnered a resurgent DMK. Shockingly, Rahul Gandhi couldn’t do an Amethi encore in Uttar Pradesh, where the Congress tried to bite more than it could chew by fielding candidates against nominees of the formidable SP-BSP combine. The organisational weaknesses were all too evident in UP, even as Priyanka Gandhi was pitchforked into the general secretary’s role rather late in the day in a desperate bid to rejuvenate the cadre.

The Modi government is again in a position to ride roughshod over the beleaguered Opposition. But the latter should hold its ground and play its constitutional role with sincerity and persistence. The defeated parties need to introspect where they went wrong and why the voters rejected them for the second time in a row. The 2024 poll battle is a long way off, but the course correction should begin right away.