Sunday 17 May 2009

So who is the winner!!

They are not in any specific order.

India the country: in this uncertain times of recession and financial meltdown one thing that you can settle is a very stable govt. A govt who is not held ransom to whims and wishs of few MP parties totally disconnected with the national issues. So with a clear mandate we have fixed one big problem now what remains is tackling the recession and financial meltdown. Although some of the local problems like bloated sovereign account is the creation of the same govt which is voted back to power. But I still think its still better to have this govt with clear mandate on its side than any other absurd combination. So India as a country is clear winner.

MMS: I think even he would not have pretensions that his name or charm could be converted into seats but that’s precisely what has happened. People have silently voted for MMS and I believe this time he should be running the country MMS as the economist not MMS as the ‘nominated’ PM.

RG: He is certainly a winner as some of his instincts proved right, like decision to go alone in UP and clearly the wining factor is higher in seats visited by him. It simply means he would taken far more seriously outside of Cong as well and BJP knows that the person who would run Cong in future in a sauvé urbane person who can stick to his decisions and even while talking to the oft repeated issues will appear graceful.

Cong: A clear winner, people projected by Cong came as a urbane and has a aura of sobriety around them although at times Cong did appear as if not knowing what they are talking about or they tried to talk in different languages. But clearly everyone liked the sedateness that MMS showed.

BJP: now on this one many people will not agree with me and might turn a bit longish as I try to explain my point. This setback I see a winning moment for BJP. If you look clearly there is a marked difference between the way BJP runs its state election campaign and the way they have run their last two national elections. State elections they focus on their strong points which runs on developments and the clear stress on ‘Go-Local’ but I felt the last two national elections BJP ran on what its idea of India is not on what India as a reality is.

I really thought as a first timer into govt they did very well on most of the parameters including infra, fiscal, foreign policy between 1998 -2004 but they lost 2004 as they ran the campaign on what their idea of India is (a supremely confident of its own ability and ‘shinning’ India) but the reality was in picking correct alliances at local levels (think of it what if they had continued with DMK as alliance in TN in 2004) and india as country is still taking its tentative steps towards being a confident young nation so 2004 election campaign was a premature idea.

Again they had a chance to replicate their success in state elections which they kept on winning one after another till Sheila halted them in Delhi (I am discounting Rajasthan as it was lost more due to infighting than someone really defeating them) but then again they ran 2009 national election as a very presidential style and probably didn’t focus as much on local issues. They kept on discounting third-front (which was right ) but did not realize that most of the third front losses would be cornered by Cong as BJP is simply not in position to exploit the losses made by third front (check the states were third front had a presence).

They can no longer escape from the addressing tough questions like why (middle-class) icons or public figures have stopped joining them. I believe this election setback for BJP came at the right time as it will allow them to focus more on ground realities, move away from bringing premature ideas and will allow them to shed lot of unwanted baggage and I hope what would come out would still be a right-wing nationalist party but without the religious rhetoric as i believe they still have the most comprehensive vision for India as a nation barring the religious rhetoric.

VG: He won a seat for himself and made a name for himself but it would take sometime for BJP to count the aggregate losses made by those CDs.

Nitish: More than winning Bihar handsomely for me he is a winner as despite the continuous media chant he kept thinking from his head and in the end he came out as a statesman. I believe if Nitish continues with what he is doing and desist from becoming an ally of Cong he would be a serious contender for the top job in future.

Mr Patnaik: He took a risk and was rewarded handsomely. I believe it will prepare him to take some of the hard policy decisions which he needs to take.

[there could some more .. but let me count the loosers in my next post]

2 comments:

  1. UI great post this one and very pertinent!
    agree with all the points
    But I still think its still better to have this govt with clear mandate on its side than any other absurd combination. So India as a country is clear winneryes..a government that is not under any pressure will do a far far better job..
    MMS and his name have surprised and yes I too hope that he acts not as a puppet but as a man with his own mind...

    rahul gandhi?:D
    doesnt seem very capable to me as of now..hope he gets some more experience in the future..then I just might like him..as of now he makes me laugh :)

    congress?:) yes a clear winner:)
    BJP..yes I agree...they might look ta their shortcomings...get rid of old faces that should have retired long back..I just hope that they do not project Modi as the next PM becasue that again might go against them...

    if onbly the BJP would let go of religious issues as you said and also not keep on harping on Modi and Advani...then I too will vote for the BJP..

    No hardliners and BJP might well turn out to be a good option...

    VG?
    VG: He won a seat for himself and made a name for himself but it would take sometime for BJP to count the aggregate losses made by those CDs.absolutely!Varun Gandhi has singlehandedly dented and tarnishd and done what not to the BJP's reputation!

    ONE HOPES THAT THE bjp WILL LEARN from this mistake..


    Nitish Kumar is one politician that I have come to have a lot of respect for..anyone who can pull Bihar out of the mess it was in deserves applause and also for refusing to bow to Congress offers of 'friendship'

    great post UI!

    waiting for the losers one!:D

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  2. Very fine analysis. The BJP needs to introspect. But that does not mean it should become a clone of the Congress. Look, the Congress has always spoken of and for minorities and never the majority community which they have taken for granted because it is divided and divisible.

    The BJP should not shed its "Hindutva". That is what distinguishes it from the Congress. One party speaks for Muslims, the other for Hindus and many smaller ones for smaller castes etc. That is how our democracy has developed. The BJP should only shed anti-minority baggage that has it has acquired. Not easy but a must. That is something it has to learn from the Congress.

    People of Delhi have gone with the Congress mainly because under Sheila Dixit, the city has changed and she is honest and competent. In Mumbai, the MNS has eaten into the votes of the BJP/Shiv Sena to ensure the victory of the Congress. That is precisely why Raj Thackery was promoted.

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