05-31-2009, 02:38 PM
The ideology of BJP its organisational weakness etc all have been accepted by a sizable number of voters of India. That is the precise reason that they have been able to get elected in more than 100 seats in Lok Sabha. The noise in the media today is due to the fact that the results have not been to the expectation of the BJP which was hoping to capture power and rule the country for the next five years.
Therefore, it is not that the ideology of BJP has been totally rejected by the electorate . Yes it has not been accepted by the majority of them and hence the result has been unfavourable to the party. Obviously, the leaders of the party will go through the reasons for this type of response from the electorate and will certainly try to fine tune its future policy as well as its image; perhaps by putting forward younger leaders and new ideas. In the process it will not be correct to assume that the party will totally abandon its present ideological stand. It may do a balancing act which may be a combination of several factors. If the electorate feels that the program is indeed attractive enough, they will certainly bring the BJP to power by voting for the NDA.
It is but only one of the problems that the BJP needs to resolve. From now till the next general election, to keep the NDA as one flock will be another difficult task. The JD(U) in its national executive meeting appears to have faced rough weather from its members , who were critical of the BJP. Therefore, it is not clear how many of the constituents of NDA will stick together with the BJP till the next general elections.
Before concluding I would also like to flag the point that the UPA will try to consolidate its position further during the next five years and as such dislodging it from power will be much more difficult for the NDA than it was during the 2009 General Elections. It will no longer have to work within the limitations of keeping the Left and later the SP on its side, in order to remain in power. It will command a massive majority, as large number of members, irrespective of party affiliation will try to be on the right side of the government.
Secondly, the new Government will try to steer away the masses from the conservative BJP outlook by certain measures which may be somewhat western oriented. This is inevitable due to the substantial presence of Ministers who have sufficient exposure to the West and to the liberal thoughts of US , UK and France. They may have a somewhat anglicised outlook which may get reflected in some of the policy changes that may be brought about in some of the spheres of public activity.
Therefore, it is not that the ideology of BJP has been totally rejected by the electorate . Yes it has not been accepted by the majority of them and hence the result has been unfavourable to the party. Obviously, the leaders of the party will go through the reasons for this type of response from the electorate and will certainly try to fine tune its future policy as well as its image; perhaps by putting forward younger leaders and new ideas. In the process it will not be correct to assume that the party will totally abandon its present ideological stand. It may do a balancing act which may be a combination of several factors. If the electorate feels that the program is indeed attractive enough, they will certainly bring the BJP to power by voting for the NDA.
It is but only one of the problems that the BJP needs to resolve. From now till the next general election, to keep the NDA as one flock will be another difficult task. The JD(U) in its national executive meeting appears to have faced rough weather from its members , who were critical of the BJP. Therefore, it is not clear how many of the constituents of NDA will stick together with the BJP till the next general elections.
Before concluding I would also like to flag the point that the UPA will try to consolidate its position further during the next five years and as such dislodging it from power will be much more difficult for the NDA than it was during the 2009 General Elections. It will no longer have to work within the limitations of keeping the Left and later the SP on its side, in order to remain in power. It will command a massive majority, as large number of members, irrespective of party affiliation will try to be on the right side of the government.
Secondly, the new Government will try to steer away the masses from the conservative BJP outlook by certain measures which may be somewhat western oriented. This is inevitable due to the substantial presence of Ministers who have sufficient exposure to the West and to the liberal thoughts of US , UK and France. They may have a somewhat anglicised outlook which may get reflected in some of the policy changes that may be brought about in some of the spheres of public activity.