India has voted yet again for her favourite son, for its most loved Prime Minister in the modern post-independence history. When a democracy as large, complex and varied as India chooses a leader for a third time, it simply means that the country enjoys a very special relationship with this leader. A relationship based on belief and trust - unparalleled in Indian history.
Make no mistake - Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won a historic mandate. This is the third general election won under his leadership by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Many historic facts for democracy in general and Indian democracy, in particular, have been rewritten.
Part of an Elite Group
Very few leaders in modern democracies have won three mandates. In the United States, the wartime President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, won three terms. On the contrary, Prime Minister Modi has outdone the most popular global leaders today, despite having been at the helm of affairs during a black swan event, the devastating Covid-19 pandemic.
Massive, Mindboggling Scale
Prime Minister Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 236 million votes in the recently concluded elections. This number is not too different from the combined number of votes polled by the winning candidate in the last three US Presidential elections, the winning party in the last UK general election and the winning candidates in the last European Parliament - put together!
Of course, PM Modi had already set the bar high. He had secured 171 million votes in 2014 and 229 million votes in 2019.
PM Modi is the only other Prime Minister after Jawahar Lal Nehru to have won three consecutive terms. Nehru, of course, won elections soon after the British era was over, when the Congress enjoyed the so-called "freedom dividend" - being seen as the political agent facilitating independence. In that era, the opposition was nascent and ill-equipped. Three consecutive terms in the digital age under 24x7 glare and scrutiny of cameras and against Congress and its allies, which have had 54 years of ruling experience, stands out handsomely. Even in these elections, the Congress has secured 137 million votes, approximately 100 million votes less than the BJP. The BJP alone has managed to get more seats than the entire opposition camp put together. The Congress, after 10 years in power, in 2014, was reduced to just 44 seats. The BJP, on the contrary, has won 240 seats and the NDA is all set for a third term in office. No amount of chest-thumping by the opposition can change the simple undeniable fact that the public of India has once again reposed their faith in the Prime Minister.
Leadership with Longevity
With the defeat of Naveen Patnaik in Odisha, PM Modi is set to become the longest-serving head of an elected government in India. He has not seen an electoral defeat in a political career spanning almost 23 years, as both Chief Minister of Gujarat and now the Prime Minister of India.
Longest PM Tenure Won In Own Name
PM Nehru served a whole five years until independent India held its first general election in 1952. These five prime ministerial years were effectively gifted to him by Mahatma Gandhi. He then served 12 years as PM after 1952.
Similarly, Indira Gandhi served two years of a term won originally by her father. She then imposed Emergency when she should have resigned having been held guilty of electoral malpractices, and served two more years.
When PM Modi completes his third term, he will have served 15 years as Prime Minister, seeking the blessings of the Indian voters in his name and for his leadership track record.
This record-breaking spree should hardly come as a surprise. PM Modi's track record has been deep in its meticulousness and wide in its imagination.
Standout Leadership
PM Modi has brought India together. He took historic and bold decisions that his predecessors avoided or could not deliver within the mandate they had. The abrogation of Article 370 to integrate Jammu & Kashmir, tackling terrorism and bringing unprecedented development in the Northeast, attacking the Naxal problem and the cultural unification of the country through efforts such as Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, the Kashi-Tamil Sangam and the symbolism of placing the Sengol in the new Parliament building are noteworthy. PM Modi has also prioritised India's security interests first and foremost, be it the surgical strikes, ambitious defence deals or India's renewed thrust on defence preparedness and developing indigenous capabilities.
A key differentiator for PM Modi's leadership has been his commitment to and furtherance of the idea of India as a "Vishwa Mitra". While cultivating new international relations, he has also fully maintained the old ones, deftly balancing what was earlier thought of as contradictions. He has been guided solely by the interest of India, using an Indian lens to further geopolitical relations, developing an aatmanirbharta of imagination. Under PM Modi's leadership, India's G-20 presidency showcased Sanatan culture proudly through hundreds of events and delegate engagements. PM Modi has consistently topped the ranking of global leaders with approval ratings above 75% throughout his term.
Economic Delivery
Like noteworthy global leaders such as Franklin D. Roosevelt of the US, Shinzo Abe of Japan and Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, PM Modi has navigated choppy waters to pull India to the global centre-stage.
He was chosen to lead India - was termed Fragile Five by Morgan Stanley - whose GDP growth rate was stagnant, whose state-run banks had record non-performing assets (NPAs) and which was rocked by one corruption scandal after another. To top it, he was faced with a once-in-a-century global pandemic and the resulting economic slowdown.
However, today, India is the world's fifth-largest economy, on its way to becoming the third-largest. The GDP growth rate is healthy, with the most recent financial year producing 8.2% growth. The state-run banks have recorded the lowest levels of NPAs and the highest level of profits.
Economic Macro-Stability With Welfarism
Fiscal prudence and macroeconomic stability have been managed hand-in-hand with stellar welfarism by the Modi government. Under PM Modi's leadership, 250 million Indians have been lifted out of poverty, an unprecedented feat and one that would probably not have any global equivalent. His policies resulted in free ration to 800 million citizens, 100 million cooking gas connections, houses to 40 million poor families and 190 million tap water connections and counting.
Another critical aspect of his social transformation has been civic engagement and change in civic behaviour. An increase in gender ratio due to the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign and the focus on cleanliness under the Swachh Bharat Mission are examples of how PM Modi has brought about lasting changes in Indian society. He has also empowered Indian women through transformational ideas like the abolition of Triple Talaq and innovative initiatives like Lakhpati Didis and Drone Didis.
PM Modi wins because he embodies the aspirations of all Indians. He is personally and singularly invested in the betterment of the lives of each and every Indian citizen. And voters repose faith in him, because he is believable, likeable and capable - a triumvirate of leadership abilities that is rare to find in public life.
(Amit Malviya is in-charge, BJP National Information and Technology Department. He is also BJP's co-in-charge for Bengal)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author