Assembly Elections: No Correction Of Course In Sight For BJP

With the Modi wave no longer strong enough to ride on, the BJP may toe the RSS line in the coming Assembly elections. KN Ashok reports.

- KN Ashok

In a rally held in Assam’s capital Dispur on 27 November, BJP president Amit Shah brought the issue of Bangaldeshi migrants to the fore. He said that the present Tarun Gogoi-led government “that hobnobs with the AIUDF cannot get Assam freedom from infiltration. Only BJP can make Northeast free of Bangladeshi infiltrators”.

Within a week, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said in neighbouring West Bengal that “the [Ram] temple will be built within my lifetime… May be, we will see it with our own eyes. None can say when and how the temple will be constructed, but we need to be prepared and ready.”

Most people won’t consider these two statements as unusual since the two leaders have only reiterated the party’s position on the issues. However, both these states are set to go to the polls next year, and it is indicative of BJP’s strategy.

However, will polarisation work for the bjp after the Bihar rout and the setback in Gujarat civic polls? Also, how involved will prime minister Narendra Modi be in the coming elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry?

For the BJP, 2015 was the year of defeats. After the drubbing in Delhi, the party had its entire machinery whirring in Bihar, determined not to repeat the debacle. The result was also crucial for the party’s hope of getting a majority in Rajya Sabha.

Amit Shah himself led the fight with Modi as the chief campaigner. Initially, the BJP’s strategy to attract the voters was on development agenda and Modi’s popularity. However, after two phases of polling the strategy changed.