People’s Verdict

People of India have proved that come what may. They will keep the political parties guessing when it comes to winning the Lok Sabha Election.2024 Lok Sabha Election will be remembered for more than one reason. As it has broken many political myths that were gaining currency in the national discourse. Indian people have made it clear that monopoly is not the way to rule India. They know how to impose checks and balances to keep political parties on the track. The verdict given by the people is paradoxical for those who had posed faith in the exit polls. From some years it is quite clear now that exit poll projections have failed to guess the mandate. People have lost faith in the exit polls and have no interest in the projections. There is indeed something wrong in the methodology that is being adopted to predict the poll results. The psephologists and the exit poll agencies will have to set their methodology right and change the forecasting tools meant for exit polls. Ballot has emerged as the silent killer for the over confident politicians who take the voters for granted. It must be acknowledged that people of India judge the candidates on various parameters. They are no more hoodwinked by the election manifestos. They want the real groundwork and results. Gone are the days of populism and personality cult. To win the confidence of the masses in India needs the research that decodes the issues that need redressal. People have rejected propaganda and rhetorical theatrics. The decrease in the number of seats and the vote share for BJP led NDA must be thought over. Losing the ground in Uttar Pradesh is the indicator of a bigger challenge for the BJP. It was confident to make a cake walk in UP. But it has been made to make a retreat. That too when the BJP was confident to win in the state after the construction of Shree Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. Something is wrong at the grass root level. There seems to be insulation between the grass root cadres and the top leadership besides there is the marginalisation of the ideologically committed human resource at various levels. This gap has been converted into political gain by the Congress led INDI Alliance. This election has done a balancing act by sending a strong signal to the incumbent BJP led NDA that the Indian voter has many issues and there is not the redressal of them all. People are looking for individuals who can help to devise operational policies for their long term problems. Political commentators are of the opinion that there is a need to sift fact from fiction when the policies are being framed. This verdict has inherent checks and balances. It gives the mandate to BJP but short of numbers to form the government on its own. It gives hope to the Congress led INDI Alliance but they can’t celebrate it as victory. It is a typical verdict that actually poses political questions. Asking the parties to delve deep into the dynamics of Indian democracy and reach out to people with ideological clarity. This election has proved that it is the victory of the voters who have the ability to cut to size the politicians. Now it has to be seen what permutations and combinations will emerge in the Lok Sabha and how BJP led NDA will take this verdict. Stability of the central government is of paramount importance. With the checks and balances imposed by the voters it has to be seen how the political wisdom will prevail in the national interest. We are entering into a phase in Indian democracy. Will this mandate give a stable central government? Will the BJP led NDA be able to hold its allies together? These questions will be answered by the political developments that will unfold in the coming days.