Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Just months left for LS election' that was published in Newsband

Just months left for LS election

Five States go to the polls with just months left for the Lok Sabha election. What makes the contest in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan even more interesting is that these will witness a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress, the principal players at the national level.

In the Lok Sabha election of 1999, for instance, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan voted overwhelmingly for the BJP after having elected the Congress in the Assembly elections just a year earlier. In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the BJP has been in power since 2003. But the Congress appears to have its best chance in Rajasthan, which chooses alternately between it and the BJP. Telangana is the new State. Mizoram, where the contest has traditionally been between the Congress and regional formations, is unlikely to see a drastic change although the Northeast is one of India’s most politically volatile areas and the BJP has encroached upon the Congress space in parts of the region.

Religion, language, state are found for peaceful existence of humanity but of late we find these are very reasons for driving divisions among people. Whenever such politics takes root you will find democracy getting challenged at every corner. Today the united opposition talks on majoritarian hegemony and challenges to federalism causing damage to our social fabric. Is it so difficult for them to first sit and sort out all the issues of religious identity, language, and regionalism to which many of them subscribe as an identity of their political sustenance. The polls verdicts may lead to re-alignment of forces in the opposition camp

Majoritarian supremacy, hegemonism is a catch word since the rise of BJP. But Is it only because BJP is in power or the reasons are lying somewhere much before? Today every country in the world is facing these very questions. The majority- minority divide is due to many factors and politics of convenience rather based on ideals and long term goals is one of the factors. Shifting the blame is another reason. We need leadership who can take blame and act on the correction of the same. The approach to enforce the wrongs by blaming others is not going to help.

Indeed the five state elections holds a key factor in deciding the trend of the upcoming Loksabha Election. The dissatisfaction with the ruling party may be the reason for choosing alternative and not due to any good will over Congress. Anti BJP trend and the long tenure in the polity of it may bring victory to Congress in Madya Pradesh and Chhattisgar. In Telengana KCRs victory is in doubt and people may find an alternative. The results of the five states will be an acid test to BJP and a foreteller of the upcoming Parliament election.