Strategic Shift

The BJP hopes to beat anti-incumbency by using ultranationalism, security issues and threats from Pakistan as its key campaign themes

- Pratul Sharma

On February 26, the day India woke up to the news of Indian Air Force jets crossing the border with Pakistan to strike at terror camps in Balakot, BJP president Amit Shah was scheduled to visit a dalit majority village in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur. As if on cue, the BJP had got the walls of the mud houses in the village painted with scenes from the Hindi film Uri, which was based on the 2016 surgical strikes by the Army. The villagers revelled in their short-lived fame and were genuinely happy about the newly-laid power lines which brought electricity to their homes.

At Ghazipur, Shah combined the two key themes for the BJP in this election season: national security and political engagement with beneficiaries of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet schemes. And, the air strikes against Pakistan brought in a dose of ultranationalism.

Elections are won by those who control the narrative and present a theme that resonates with voters. In 2014, the BJP campaign centred around the promise of achhe din and of tackling corruption. There has been a shift this time, with an overdose of nationalism and security issues. Threats from across the border has become a recurring theme of the BJP campaign.

In the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections two years ago, the surgical strikes helped the BJP reap rich rewards. The party hopes that the Balakot strikes and the recent launch of the anti-satellite missile, A-SAT, will do the job this time. The BJP promptly took credit for both, saying it was possible only because of Modi’s strong leadership. The party has launched a presidential form of election campaign, presenting Modi as the strong and decisive leader who has made his mark on the world stage, and, has delivered domestically.