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Nalin S Kohli is spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Director of the party's Public Policy Research Centre. He is also a lawyer and has extensive experience in media and education.)
2014 has been a remarkable electoral year for the BJP. The charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his clear agenda of developmental politics has consistently resonated with the Indian voter across the country.
In the parliament elections in May, psephologists and analysts alike were confounded when voters wholesomely rejected coalition politics and favoured a decisive return to single-party majority after a gap of 25 years. That was to Mr Modi's singular credit and it seemed an impossible feat to many when he was declared as the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate in September 2013.
The victory run for the BJP continued in the state elections that followed thereafter. Personally leading the campaign, Mr Modi has positively appealed to the electorate across Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir with his agenda of development and progress.
Voters have evidently believed this message and the results in each of these four states are no less historic for the BJP than the parliamentary elections. In Haryana, the party surged from a mere four seats to full majority, while in Maharashtra, it emerged as the single-largest party crossing the three-digit mark. For the first time, both states now have a Chief Minister from the BJP.
Even as the final results are being tabulated, the mandate in Jharkhand as well as in Jammu and Kashmir deserves comment. The voters of Jharkhand have, for the first time, opted to comprehensively reject uncertainly and political opportunism. Governments frequently fell in the state on the whims of local political outfits. Despite being endowed with natural resources, Jharkhand suffers pathetically from low developmental and human resource indices. People in the state expect to see change under the BJP which has increased its seats by about 150% over the 18 it won in 2009.
Jammu and Kashmir is another state where the BJP is now a frontline political entity. That the voters in the state were positively inclined towards the party was evident in May itself when the party won three of the six parliamentary seats. At over 32% vote share, the party was also at number one in terms of votes garnered. Up from 11 seats to 25 in the state legislature, the BJP may well be in government, or at the very least, be the principal opposition party in a state where it was always considered a fringe party.
However, irrespective of who forms the government in Jammu and Kashmir, credit undoubtedly goes to the voter of the state. Men, women, old and young, thronged the voting booths in historic numbers, braving bullets and boycott calls alike. The separatists found themselves once again separated from reality of what people in the state actually desire.
Even as the BJP celebrates the popularity of its star campaigner Narendra Modi and the resultant run of victories, the Congress party has much to worry about. In Jharkhand, its hopes of a grand alliance with Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD and other opportunists has failed miserably. In Jammu and Kashmir, it stands last among all frontline parties, even behind the National Conference that has fared better than expected.
The Congress may once again seek solace in arguments to defend the efficacy of its leadership and performance. In the meanwhile, perhaps they may want to reflect on the message from BJP President Amit Shah who said that "the poll verdict is a lesson for those who oppose our government's agenda of development and change," obviously referring to the recent session of parliament with all the disruptions.
While the BJP celebrates 2014 as the Year of Mr Modi, the Congress may have to reflect on the potency of Mr Amit Shah's comment on achieving a Congress-Mukt Bharat.
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