A Win For Haath and A Loss For Kamal?
It is no surprise that the elections for the governing body of the largest democracy in the world have gained attention and coverage from every source of media. However, for the ruling party in India, The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections have yielded shocking results. National Democratic Alliance(NDA) which has been the ruling party since 2014 under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured a third term making him the first prime minister to run a third term after Jawahar Lal Nehru.
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| Source - myrepublica |
Under NDA, the BJP alone has 240 seats compared to its opposition party, the Indian National Congress which has just 99 seats under the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). BJP's slogan “ab ki baar 400 paar”, is being thoroughly bashed by the political left of the country as overconfidence and belief in hate politics. The reason for this is the religious politics that the BJP has run through its term. From the construction of the Ram Mandir to the legalization of CAA/NRC, the BJP has been incurring hate propaganda and has now become a pioneer of 'Hindutva' in the sub-continent.
NDA won the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections but even then there is celebration amongst the political left of the country including the biggest opposition party, the Congress. The INDIA Alliance was able to win a whooping 228 seats compared to the mere 44 seats that UPA led by Congress won in 2019. The country rejoices in the fact that no party has been able to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha and hence this term would be the true representation of democracy.
The Wreckage of Yogi Adityanath - The ‘Satta Palat’ from Uttar Pradesh
Perhaps the reason for NDA not making it ‘400 paar’ comes in the face of Yogi Adityanath's Uttar Pradesh. During an interview with NDTV Times Yogi showed full faith in the voter base of UP and promised the NDA Alliance the 40 seats from Uttar Pradesh's constituency. The UP voter base which is known to be the X-factor in every election surprised the nation when in a closely fought election, the INDIA bloc was able to wrestle 43 seats while the NDA obtained 36; the SP obtained 37 seats, the Congress six, and the BJP 33. The results were met with surprise because UP is the conservative “heartland” where under Narendra Modi, the Hindutva ideology has grown deep roots.
But is the victory in UP truly a victory by SP and by extension INDIA alliance, or is it another propaganda that includes the inclusion of the poor, the OBC's and the Dalit community only on face value? For Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party Uttar Pradesh was once the 'garh' of the cycle. However, Yogi Adityanath's landslide victory in UP during 2017 Vidhan Sabha Elections broke this pattern.
The Elite That Talks About The Plight Of The Poor - Ignorance Of The Left
The Left-Wing ideology consists of the sect that prioritizes development (social, economic, infrastructural, cultural) over religious politics, hate propaganda, casteism and other social evils. The same Left-Wing today celebrates the win of Akhilesh Yadav in UP who is allegedly responsible for the negative development, 'gundaraj', mafia involvement in Uttar Pradesh. Yogi Adityanath is by far the only CM to win in Uttar Pradesh for 2 consecutive terms and has completely refurbished the majority of the state in his tenure.
In terms of corruption, more than 100 “black sheep” policemen were suspended by the Uttar Pradesh police. He is responsible for the quasi-vigilante anti ‘romeo’ squads in Uttar Pradesh which have made UP a significantly safer place for women. The infrastructural development in Uttar Pradesh and the Delhi-NCR region is massive ranging from the planned city of New Agra Urban Centre, the Yamuna Expressway, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail Transit System which was opened for passenger operation in 2023 to the urban infrastructural development within the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana which provided housing to several people who couldn't afford it otherwise and Ujjwala which is responsible for less electricity shortage in rural areas. In the 2019 'mood of the nation' survey Yogi Adityanath is the most capable Chief Minister who currently holds office.
Tenure of ‘The Cycle’ - The Promised Development That Was Not Visible
During Akhilesh Yadav's tenure concerning serious crime, UP seems to have seen deterioration after the SP government took over. Reported rates of serious crime have gone up in the years during SP’s regime. Reported cases of crimes against women saw an increase of 12.5% compared to the previous tenure of Mayavati of BSP. The local gundaraj was at a high in SP's tenure and it is allegedly reported that the party backed up the mafia rule due to its incentives. Yogi’s government was able to eradicate the mafia from UP to some extent and the crime rate against women went down a whopping 6% during BJP’s tenure in UP.
Right Wing, Left Wing - Birds of The Same Feather?
It is ironic to see that the left wing that fights against casteism, and misogyny in social spheres, is celebrating a candidate who won the state based on caste politics and a bottle of beer. Does the political left care about their Anti-Modi and Anti-BJP slogans more than national safety, or is this simply about the hate politics that they fight about that they have subconsciously adopted? It won’t be a hyperbole to say that UP will bear a significant loss if the voter base turns to hold the same ideology in the 2027 Vidhan Sabha Elections.
Caste and religious politics by far might be the most effective strategy to win elections in UP, a feudal state, where coaxing long-term allegiances to change is not difficult, where voters are susceptible to falling for half-truths and hyperbole, and where a majority want nothing more from a mai-baap sarkar (a nanny state) than morsels of cereal and an artificial sense of 'pride' derived from faith or caste or an amalgam of both.
The retrogradation of UP politics faces setbacks on both fronts where on one side, there is the supremacist Hindutva ideology which has permeated deep into the political consciousness of UP’s Hindus, across the caste spectrum. While few might have articulated its influence on voting in recent elections, the SP’s “identification” with Muslims and the BJP’s allegation that it would “appease” minorities and “patronize” Muslim “criminals'' plays on the Hindu mind, while on the other side of the coin there is the caste politics that uses the slogan of PDA(Picchade Backwards, Dalit, Alpasankik Minority) to win elections and yet these are the communities that are the worse affected in that reign.
The Yadav consciousness in UP has made it possible for Akhilesh Yadav to win in the Lok Sabha Elections which is the politics of caste consciousness. In retrospect, the far left and the far right might not be so different after all when in one scenario cultural consciousness is used and in the other caste consciousness. Safe to say, in either scenario the country’s minority is worse off.
Written By Leepakshi
This article has been authored exclusively by the writer and is being presented on Eat My News, which serves as a platform for the community to voice their perspectives. As an entity, Eat My News cannot be held liable for the content or its accuracy. The views expressed in this article solely pertain to the author or writer. For further queries about the article or its content you can contact on this email address - leepakshiibh@gmail.com
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