12-24-2007, 11:23 AM
<b>Idols are better vote-getters than ideology</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Popular myths have been demolished and demons slain in this election. For instance, the BJP hesitated to act against party dissidents led by Keshubhai Patel, fearing a rebellion among the rank-and-file party workers. <b>Some senior leaders in Delhi were hoping to put Modi in his place by letting the dissidents play spoilsport</b>. Sunday's result shows that dissidence has had minimal impact on the BJP's vote share, which could be anything between 50 and 51 per cent, up from its share of 49.5 per cent in 2002
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What this election has also demonstrated is that caste ceases to be a dominant factor when economics takes centrestage. The Congress tried to recreate the magic of KHAM (Kshatriya Harijan Adivasi Muslim) by selecting candidates with the right caste and community identity, creating some amount of concern among traditional election strategists in the BJP. The Congress's strategy has come a cropper.
Similarly, tribals, contrary to what pundits have been claiming in the media, have not shifted their loyalty en masse to the Congress. What should worry the Congress the most is Sonia Gandhi's failure to draw woman voters. Modi would not have been triumphant had women, irrespective of their age and social and economic status, not voted for him, their Chhappan ni Chhaati (Modi's reputed 56-inch chest), in vast numbers.
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<b>When the BJP election manifesto was being drafted, insiders say, there was a strong suggestion that it should mention an offer of amnesty for farmers who had defaulted on paying their electricity bills and against whom cases had been registered. Modi is believed to have given a patient hearing to his party colleagues and then put his foot down. He would not compromise on his policies. He took the issue to the people and they have voted in his favour</b> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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Who are these senior leader? someone should door to them.
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What this election has also demonstrated is that caste ceases to be a dominant factor when economics takes centrestage. The Congress tried to recreate the magic of KHAM (Kshatriya Harijan Adivasi Muslim) by selecting candidates with the right caste and community identity, creating some amount of concern among traditional election strategists in the BJP. The Congress's strategy has come a cropper.
Similarly, tribals, contrary to what pundits have been claiming in the media, have not shifted their loyalty en masse to the Congress. What should worry the Congress the most is Sonia Gandhi's failure to draw woman voters. Modi would not have been triumphant had women, irrespective of their age and social and economic status, not voted for him, their Chhappan ni Chhaati (Modi's reputed 56-inch chest), in vast numbers.
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<b>When the BJP election manifesto was being drafted, insiders say, there was a strong suggestion that it should mention an offer of amnesty for farmers who had defaulted on paying their electricity bills and against whom cases had been registered. Modi is believed to have given a patient hearing to his party colleagues and then put his foot down. He would not compromise on his policies. He took the issue to the people and they have voted in his favour</b> <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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Who are these senior leader? someone should door to them.