How Maharashtra is a mandate for Modi 3.0

Nothing helps the Bharatiya Janata Party succeed like a bout of failure. By exposing INDIA’s fragility, it has also signalled to the NDA partners we depend on for support, like Nitish Kumar in Bihar and Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh, that the BJP remains their only option.” With some caveats though, as the INDIA bloc’s victories in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir did expose that chinks in the BJP armour remain even as it put guard rails on the party’s aggressive Hindutva. United, we will soar together!” Later that evening, at a victory rally in BJP’s Delhi headquarters, Modi told a wildly cheering crowd of supporters, “The voters don’t want instability, they want nation first.they don’t like those who dream of kursi first.” The PM’s dig was clearly directed at the Congress-led INDIA whose Lok Sabha gains flattered only to deceive, as the Maharashtra ver­dict shows. The BJP announced a slew of welfare schemes during the Lok Sabha election, which the PM advertised as “Modi ki guarantees” in his election campaign. DesignBoxed chief Naresh Arora, who as poll strategist for NCP chief Ajit Pawar successfully transformed his campaign, points out, “The Maharashtra election was expected to result in a regressive caste consolidation—one versus the other—but people voted above caste lines as was evident with the big Mahayuti win that saw support across caste groups and regions.