Five states. One UT. 130 seats. Crucial numbers these. PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are driving the saffron chariot into the BJP’s last frontier.
The Vindhyas, as the legend goes, grew so high that the mountains once obstructed the path of the sun. Sage Agastya, travel ling to the south, is believed to have asked the mountains to lower themselves to facilitate his passage. the Vindhyas obliged in reverence. this is a story that BJp leaders love to narrate with the belief that prime minister Narendra Modi is their best bet to emulate the seer and help the party breach the political Vindhyas. But the region that is collectively referred to as south India has proved to be an invincible fortress for the allconquering saffron army led by Modi. Barring a foothold in Karnataka, the BJp has yet to find the winning formula for the five southern states. And it’s a reality the BJp may have to live with after this summer’s general elections.
The south—Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka and Union territory Pondicherry—account for 130 Lok Sabha seats, nearly a quarter of the total of 545. For any party claiming to represent the nation, it is a huge chunk to ignore. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had won 21 of them, 17 in Karnataka alone. And it has been looking to double its tally on its own. It is also working at getting allies among the regional parties. But ground reality presents a different picture and the BJP’s target of getting at least 80 seats in the NDA kitty looks difficult with each passing day. It appears more difficult after the BJP lost one of its biggest allies, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), in Andhra Pradesh.
この記事は Outlook の February 11, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Outlook の February 11, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Trump's White House 'Waapsi'
Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election may very well mean an end to democracy in the near future
IMT Ghaziabad hosted its Annual Convocation Ceremony for the Class of 2024
Shri Suresh Narayanan, Chairman Managing Director of Nestlé India Limited, congratulated and motivated graduates at IMT Ghaziabad's Convocation 2024
Identity and 'Infiltrators'
The Jharkhand Assembly election has emerged as a high-stakes political contest, with the battle for power intensifying between key players in the state.
Beyond Deadlines
Bibek Debroy could engage with even those who were not aligned with his politics or economics
Portraying Absence
Exhibits at a group art show in Kolkata examine existence in the absence
Of Rivers, Jungles and Mountains
In Adivasi poetry, everything breathes, everything is alive and nothing is inferior to humans
Hemant Versus Himanta
Himanta Biswa Sarma brings his hate bandwagon to Jharkhand to rattle Hemant Soren’s tribal identity politics
A Smouldering Wasteland
As Jharkhand goes to the polls, people living in and around Jharia coalfield have just one request for the administration—a life free from smoke, fear and danger for their children
Search for a Narrative
By demanding a separate Sarna Code for the tribals, Hemant Soren has offered the larger issue of tribal identity before the voters
The Historic Bonhomie
While the BJP Is trying to invoke the trope of Bangladeshi infiltrators”, the ground reality paints a different picture pertaining to the historical significance of Muslim-Adivasi camaraderie
