The BJP has more at stake than the Congress in the assembly polls. After the hard fight in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, it has to battle stronger anti-incumbency in Rajasthan. It also has to make sure that Modi’s image does not suffer ahead of the Lok Sabha elections
This December 11, when results to assembly elections in five states—Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram—will be out, the country will again get an indication as to what to expect in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. And, it will answer several questions. Will the anti-incumbency in the three BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan become a catalyst for building a similar sentiment across the nation? Will the Congress, if it does well, become the flag-bearer of opposition unity? Or, will it let regional satraps take the lead, if it lacks the numbers? If the BJP retains the three states, will it mean the 2019 polls is a foregone conclusion? Or, will Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with his Teflon-coated image, remain unscathed, irrespective of the results?
The five states comprise 83 Lok Sabha seats; of these, 65 are in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The BJP had won 63 of 65 seats in 2014. The focus is more on these Hindi-speaking states, as the BJP is not in contention in Telangana and Mizoram. Its best hope is to ally with parties opposed to the Congress after the results. In the three BJP-ruled states, Modi’s charisma is seen as an antidote to anti-incumbency. The BJP is also shielding him in event of adverse results—he is scheduled to address only 24 rallies in the five states, against the 34 he addressed in Gujarat last year.
Denne historien er fra December 09, 2018-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 09, 2018-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
