It’s incredible because the defeat comes wreathed in illusions of victory. It’s incredible because rejection is packaged as an endorsement. It’s incredible because the punishment for hubris is hawked as a reward for failure. It’s incredible because the roar of triumphalism conceals the cry for crutches. It’s incredible because it defies the mathematical logic of 240 being almost half of 400-plus.
The brand Narendra Modi lies dismantled. Voters danced on the debris of his arrogance, manifested so crudely through the “char-sau-paar” boast, advertising the absurdity of his political posturing. The fortified warrior stands bruised; his weapons – from alluring promises to false claims, from deceptive narratives to divisive tricks, rendered ineffective. Even the pretensions of divinity didn’t help. The swagger now comes laden with numerical vulnerabilities. Modi ki Guarantee is replaced with Naidu-Nitish ki Mercy. The myth of invincibility lies shattered, grinded to dust in the main battlefield of Uttar Pradesh. The “ek-akela” bluster has encountered the realism of democracy. The incredible victory may probably be the precursor to political ruin.
But the victory is incredible in another sense, too. Being the largest party with 240 seats after two terms is truly incredible. This accomplishment, against a pathetic governance track record marred by unprecedented unemployment and savage rise in prices of essential commodities, sounds incredible. A substantial 240 seats after such catastrophic decisions like demonetisation, mismanagement of Covid, menacingly rising economic inequality, blatant crony capitalism, scandals like Rafale and electoral bonds, historic farmers’ movement, unbelievable apathy to crises like Manipur and wrestlers’ protests, damage to pluralistic social fabric and mauling of democratic institutions and sensational land-grab by China is doubtless incredible.
It’s, however, incredible in yet another sense. That Modi got restricted to 240 is absolutely incredible under the circumstances this election was held. The sacred principle of level-playing field was buried deep under the ground. The media was shamelessly aligned with the ruling establishment, acting as both the shield for the government and the hounds of the rulers. The Election Commission acted as a frontal outfit of the ruling party, ignoring the most brazen violations of the model code of conduct. Parties were split, symbols snatched and left to face the election in a tattered state. Top leaders were arrested, embroiled in cases and harassed by investigative agencies just before the election. The accounts of the main opposition party were frozen by the Income Tax on frivolous charges. Parties were arm-twisted to forge, prevent and break alliances. Resources of opposition parties were choked; movement of funds became impossible for the smaller parties while the BJP had a free run. Insiders reveal if the opposition parties spent Rs 5 in a constituency, the BJP squandered Rs 500. It looked like a fight between an armoured soldier and a street urchin. Against this grim backdrop, restricting Modi juggernaut below the majority mark is truly incredible.
The result is incredible for multiple other reasons. Communication is the engine of politics. The opposition leader had to walk 4000 km for months, in rain, extreme cold and heat, to convey his message. The leader of the government had countless loudspeakers and cameras fixed around his mouth and body, amplifying his messages round the clock, without any critical analysis or questioning. While the opposition leaders were hounded on flimsy and fake charges, even toxic stuff and pure nonsense of the ruling party were sold as gold by television channels. A leader in opposition had to face the music even if he or she stole a hen but myriad cases of quid pro quo, extortion and illegality exposed through electoral bonds were brushed under the carpet. The election was falsely and mischievously portrayed as a competition between the thief and the police, between the pro-Ram and anti-Ram forces, between pro-terrorists and ant-terrorist elements. This was a boxing arena where the rival of the champion came starving and didn’t have gloves. To make it worse, the referee was a friend of the champion. It’s incredible the champion failed to conquer.
The main challenger – Rahul Gandhi – rightly declared after the result: “The country has unanimously and clearly stated – we do not want Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to be involved in the running of this country. We do not like the way they have run this country; we do not appreciate the way they have attacked the Constitution; we do not appreciate the way they have run this country for the last 10 years. So, that is a huge message to Narendra Modi.” He also said that the people of India have resisted this onslaught on the Constitution. “The poor, workers, farmers, Dalits, Adivasis, backwards have saved the Constitution. The Constitution is the voice of the country. Many people remained silent, did nothing to protect it. But India’s weaker and deprived sections woke up and saved it. The first step to save the Constitution has been taken.”
The first step that Rahul Gandhi referred to is the fetters citizens of India have placed on the feet of the colossus that undermined the Constitution. The fears were not irrational; while the constitutional scheme was indeed wantonly violated over the past ten years, many BJP leaders publicly said they need 400 seats to change the Constitution. The citizens have responded by denying that kind of mandate to the Government. Take 240, the people said. That’s indisputably incredible.
