Modi’s Anxiety Grows As General Elections Approach – Prime Minister Narendra Modi, worried about the probable adverse outcomes of the 2024 General Elections and the upcoming Assembly Elections in four States
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, worried about the probable adverse outcomes of the 2024 General Elections and the upcoming Assembly Elections in four States, has begun to use investigative agencies to demoralize the opposition parties. After investigating top Congress leaders, the government has begun raiding the homes of senior leaders from West Bengal’s Trinamool Congress, Bihar’s RJD, JD(U), and Delhi’s Aam Aadmi parties in an apparent attempt to intimidate them. The Modi administration must understand that in the age of social media, nothing can remain concealed and the voters are aware that investigative agencies are being employed to serve specific agendas. Every Indian knows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently advocated for a ‘Congress-free Bharath’ since 2014, but now it seems the tables have turned, and his political presence may be in jeopardy. It appears that the pillars of his government have begun to tremble, and this development was initiated by the outcomes of the Assembly Elections held in some States over the past few months. Mr. Sanjay Singh, an Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP who is currently facing a money-laundering probe, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that Modi is going to lose the 2024 Elections and that is why he is manifesting his frustration by targeting opposition party candidates. Notably, the recent setback in the Assembly Elections in Karnataka seems to be setting the stage for Modi’s potential failures ahead. His party, despite exhaustive efforts, such as running campaigns against the wearing of hijabs, removing loudspeakers from mosques, advocating against halal meat, and employing various other tactics to foster an atmosphere of animosity and religious discord, couldn’t clinch victory in Karnataka. Currently, even a number of staunch BJP members have begun expressing that they have been exploited as mere sporters and it is time for the party to go.
In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Mizoram, Assembly elections are scheduled for November. But, the BJP in these States appears to be on a sticky wicket. In Chhattisgarh, it finds itself in a precarious position, with its downfall already predicted. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, the party’s footing is slipping, and the foundations of Shivraj Chauhan’s power, affectionately known as “Mamaji’, have begun to wobble. In a bid to lend support, the party High Command has dispatched central Ministers, Members of Parliament, and prominent leaders to Madhya Pradesh. However, this move by the party is facing opposition not only from the state leaders but also from some of the candidates aspiring to contest the elections. In this context, the remarks of Kailash Vijayvargi, a senior leader of the party are quite significant. When his name surfaced among the potential election candidates, he expressed deep astonishment, questioning why the party made such a decision as he has no intention of running for the election. He went on to comment that as a senior and central leader, he shouldn’t be made to beg for votes this time, indicating that the position of the party is critical this time. The Congress party which had previously raised the issue of 40% commission against the Bommai government in the recent election in Karnataka has now raised the commission issue in Madhya Pradesh as well, and the people of the state have shown their support for the Congress party’s stand on this issue.
Numerous news channels are presently engaged in gathering the opinions of voters in all the States going for elections next month, with a particular focus on Madhya Pradesh. The general sentiment among the voters in these States seems to be largely against the BJP. In addition to the state-specific issues, national issues such as inflation, unemployment, women’s safety, minimum support prices for crops, hate speech, and other critical issues have become significant factors for voters in shaping their opinions against the BJP. The local leaders of Madhya Pradesh who were hoping that the party would give them a ticket to contest are upset with the arrival of leaders from Delhi. They feel that they have been side-lined and question whether they should work to make others become MLAs. On the other hand, there is a different kind of conflict between the supporters and opponents of Madhavrao Scindia. A considerable number of Scindia’s supporters have re-joined the Congress Party, and his opponents are angry that these supporters are being offered opportunities to contest the upcoming election. The situation in Rajasthan mirrors what is happening elsewhere, with Vasundhara Raje Scindia, the former Chief Minister of the state, frustrated with the party. The manner in which the party has isolated her is not only irking her but infuriating and demoralizing her supporters. Moreover, the continued success of the current Congress government in the State is posing a significant obstacle for her and her party’s efforts to regain power. She has been trying to find issues to critique the Gehlot government but has been unsuccessful so far. The BJP’s standing in Telangana is notably fragile. The primary competition in this region is between the Congress and TRS.
Over the last couple of months, the brand of politics spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader in the Congress, has left the BJP befuddled. His “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” initiated to promote a more transparent and problem-solving approach to politics, has garnered overwhelming public support. A significant number of individuals who previously supported the BJP have come to regret their choice, and are now vehemently disapproving of the depths to which politics had deteriorated over the past decade. Rahul Gandhi’s campaign to purge hostility and hatred from politics and unify the people is beginning to show results, signalling the opening of a new chapter in the country’s political history. This has pushed the BJP into a state of anxiety and panic. In any case, the BJP currently finds itself in a challenging situation. This predicament is glaringly evident in States where upcoming elections are on the horizon, as the BJP is likely to encounter resounding defeat. There is a possibility that this saga of setbacks for the BJP will persist until the 2024 General Elections.
