PM-Led 'Collective Leadership' Pitch Pays Dividends ForBJP

In wresting control of two states, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, from the Congress and retaining its government in a third province, Madhya Pradesh, with a historic victory, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) gambit of using collective leadership led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to steer its campaign demonstrably reaped dividends on Sunday.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

As did the party's strategy of relentlessly attacking the Congress on allegations of irregularities and corruption, focussing on its welfare outreach, and nurturing key vote blocs such as women and tribals.

This approach was most visible in Madhya Pradesh, where anti-incumbency was one of the biggest challenges and where the old guard was not the face of the party in the polls, and also in Chhattisgarh, where the party was visibly weak going into the elections, without a strong state leadership.

In Rajasthan, the party used the same tactic, but was also backed up by a strong set-up led by former chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

In all three states, the party won clear mandates-164 of 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh, 115 of 199 in Rajasthan and 54 of 90 in Chhattisgarh. In 2018, the party had faced a drubbing in all three.

Instead of projecting or naming incumbents as chief ministerial candidates, the party banked on the popularity of Modi and the Union government's social schemes-an approach that party leaders said focused on the strength of the "Mo guarantees".

"Not just the Lok Sabha polls, but all elections are now fought on the PM's name and credibility," said a general secretary, asking not to be named.

The approach best crystallised in the Madhya Pradesh campaign, where the party was in power for 18 of the last 20 years. Several state leaders, who asked not to be named, said there was a perception in the party that the 2018 performance, when the BJP won 109 seats, coming second to Congress's tally of 114, was due to the anti-incumbency sentiment against chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Chouhan's not leading from the front became obvious when the high command - Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah-launched the Jan Ashirwad Yatra, marking the first steps towards a change in order.