The Narrative and Tactics Of The BJP Campaign That Proved Effective

Once again, Modi’s charisma and Amit Shah’s organisational skills give the BJP a huge mandate. Nationalism and hindutva, too, played a part, as did the focus on the poor

- Pratul Sharma

On May 17, following a gruelling 51-day election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprised everyone by joining BJP president Amit Shah at a news conference. He said the country had already decided to re-elect the government with a full majority, which was happening after a long time. “After 1975,” Shah whispered to Modi.

A week later, when the votes were counted, Modi returned with a bigger mandate, like Indira Gandhi did in 1971.

The BJP bettered its 2014 tally by 21 seats, aided by gains in the Hindi heartland, West Bengal and Odisha. The party’s vote share was more than 50 per cent in 17 states.

Modi decimated political dynasties and established his image of being a pro-poor leader who could ensure the country’s safety. “I thank people who gave this mandate to this fakir,” he said after winning.

Notably, the pro-Modi sentiment trumped the poll arithmetic of alliances in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The BJP’s aggressive hindutva message, coupled with nationalism, seemed to have even overcome caste loyalties. The party retained 62 of its 71 seats in Uttar Pradesh, brushing aside the SP-BSP alliance, and the NDA nearly swept Bihar, winning 39 of 40 seats there. The absence of Rashtriya Janata Dal founder Lalu Prasad helped the BJP no end.

Modi addressed 142 rallies, most of them in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha. Shah addressed 161, and other senior leaders chipped in to take the number to 1,500 rallies in 51 days.