06-18-2009, 10:38 PM
I talked to an elderly man from India about the elections. He expected the BJP/NDA to perform better but in retrospect the following factors worked agaisnt them.
1) Candidate selection was not right. Some of them were fools and criminals
2) Infighting amongst BJP in states they control -Gujarat, Rajasthan. What is the problem in BJP that they cant stop infighting? And its teir supposedly senior leaders who do the backstabbing Eg: Shekawat, Modis detractors etc. BJP leadership encourages dissidence by listening to dissidents, which is agaisnt its so called discipline.
3) Alliances were weak eg. ShivSena which could not control its own family members, TRS an oppurtunist party. PR should have been made an ally. And failure to rope in non-INC, non-Commie parties aka Third front.
4) National security was BJP strong case but with the Mumbai Terrorist attack and Kasab being caught while Kandahar hijackers went scot-free weakend the case. Dismissal of Deshmukh etc made ti appear that INC took effective steps. What was the BJP doing after Kandahar Hijack? All the actors/players were still in power.
5) All attacks on MMS bounce off as he is not a politican and does what he is told. Attacking him was waste tactic.
6) Lack of any economic hardship-cyclones, price rise etc. Had the elections been a year earlier they had a good chance.
7) Now that people have spoken its time for BJP to act as responsible opposition and make themselves relevant.
Despite his initial misgvings he is reconciled as he has to live in India and thats what is good for India.
1) Candidate selection was not right. Some of them were fools and criminals
2) Infighting amongst BJP in states they control -Gujarat, Rajasthan. What is the problem in BJP that they cant stop infighting? And its teir supposedly senior leaders who do the backstabbing Eg: Shekawat, Modis detractors etc. BJP leadership encourages dissidence by listening to dissidents, which is agaisnt its so called discipline.
3) Alliances were weak eg. ShivSena which could not control its own family members, TRS an oppurtunist party. PR should have been made an ally. And failure to rope in non-INC, non-Commie parties aka Third front.
4) National security was BJP strong case but with the Mumbai Terrorist attack and Kasab being caught while Kandahar hijackers went scot-free weakend the case. Dismissal of Deshmukh etc made ti appear that INC took effective steps. What was the BJP doing after Kandahar Hijack? All the actors/players were still in power.
5) All attacks on MMS bounce off as he is not a politican and does what he is told. Attacking him was waste tactic.
6) Lack of any economic hardship-cyclones, price rise etc. Had the elections been a year earlier they had a good chance.
7) Now that people have spoken its time for BJP to act as responsible opposition and make themselves relevant.
Despite his initial misgvings he is reconciled as he has to live in India and thats what is good for India.