This time around the prime minister would be seeking a verdict on his performance, including demonetisation drive.
The 2017 assembly election is no ordinary one. Nearly one-fifth of the total electorate in India would turn out to exercise their franchise. The elections to the Assemblies of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa to be held during February and March would involve 690 assembly constituencies.
The election would not only be the last hurrah for seasoned politicians such as Mulayam Singh Yadav, Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh, who has already declared it would be his last elections, but would also be a harbinger for the emergence of a young set of leaders.
But it is not just the magnitude of the elections that would make them important. At stake is the midterm test for the Narendra Modi government and the poll outcome would pave way for the next showdown in 2019 when the Centre would seek a second term. These would also be the first assembly polls after demonetisation of high-value currency notes and many are considering this as a referendum on the issue. It may not be a referendum on demonetisation as such, but the issue would certainly be talked about and have an impact on the final outcome.
Stakes are high for all political leaders, but the biggest test is for PM Narendra Modi and the BJP. In 2014, he was the challenger and he succeeded with elan. This time around, he would be seeking a verdict on his performance and shall like to pave the way for a second term in office. No wonder Brand Modi is up for a major test and he is not shying away from it.
Significantly, the BJP has not projected any CM candidate in any of the states going to polls. This despite the fact that the party had lost out in Bihar where it had not projected any candidate as possible CM. On the other hand, the party had gone ahead with declaring Sarbananda Sonowal as its CM candidate in Assam and the party had hit the bull’s eye in that state.
No stone unturned
This story is from the January 31 2017 edition of Tehelka.
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This story is from the January 31 2017 edition of Tehelka.
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