India voted out the perpetrators of hate and stood by harmony, but indecisively, since the electorate could not be satisfied on an alternative. India voted against arrogance. India voted against the mischievous washing machine. India voted against the Modi-only approach of the national ruling party. India voted against bulldozer, the primitive justice system, which was much against Vedic Sanatana Dharma. India voted for accommodativeness. India voted against the brutal usage of constitutional bodies and Central agencies for the undue advantage of the ruling Party. India voted against the brutality of the ruling party and its supremo in depriving the level playing field to the opponents. India voted against the suppression and oppression of the ruling Party over the Opponents. India voted against excessive publicity and flamboyancy.
The failure of his all-pervading super personality in mustering the magic figure of 272 on his own, even after boasting 400plus as a mind game had greatly diminished his standing. His eagerness to repost with thanks to the messages of heads of several countries has shown his weakness and fall. Without a formal meeting of newly elected members of his own party and without the support letters from friendly parties, stake is not possible before the President of India. The formalities are not only formal, traditional but also valid constitutional approaches. The hastiness of his managers on the formation of the new government was cold-shouldered by the now-powerful partners. The partners are now a vital lifeline for the survival of the new government. They are there to dictate terms. It’s their round now.
Narendra Modi while he was leading the BJP’s campaign. Photo: X/@narendramodi
India voted for equity and efforts to remove inequality. India voted for social defence, social security, social justice, and social empowerment, and stood against religious hatemongering. India voted, highlighting the existence of the Indian class system which is caste. India voted for an inclusive India, with data-driven, equanimity, for which the basis will be the caste census. India voted for consideration of southern states’ aspirations in the allocation of resources and funds. India voted for valuing the expectations of South India in having a justifiable number share on the floors of the houses of the Indian parliament, in the coming delimitation process. India did not dread the terrifying tactics of warning bulldozers to run towards temples and words hinting that if you chant your lord’s name, powers will jail you. India voted against half-truths, meagre deliveries, and abrupt lockdowns, ineffective and life-threatening vaccines. India voted against terror tactics of enlarging doubts of snatching Mangal Sutra and shown hope towards Nyay Sutra.
India knowingly gave a fractured mandate. India taught a terse lesson to the person, who thought as if, omnipresent and made him to kneel down and given legless body so as to depend on once ignored as Chatte-Bhatte, now valued partners. India steered clear that there is no wave in favour of or against. State by state throughout the length of north to south and breadth of east to west, India considered all its local indications while delivering the judgment.
The beauty of the present general elections lies in the silence and tacit acceptance of EVM. Though, from several constituencies, hearing about discrepancies in final numbers, overall approval is with EVM and doubts of machine management are not looming large. However, the big delay in the announcement of the polled votes and expectations of careful handling of VVPAT slips will enhance Election Commission integrity, constitutionality and reliability.
The 2024 mandate teaches the leadership of all struggling and claiming political outfits, first to search their soul, idea, philosophy and correlate with Indian ethos, cultures, traditions, ideas and philosophies to give them, viable alternatives. 1950s, 1990s and even 2010s are no longer receivable since the demography of the Indian electorate is dynamic and crisply changes every 10 years. But, the bedrock of all approaches and mother of all traditions is just Sarva Dharma Samabhavana, which that is equality of all faiths. The youngest of the Indian electorate, though much modern, swiggy swagging, uber traveling, upcountry employed or straight in the farm fields with no modern study or skills but a well-networked smartphone in hand, is not ready to forego his or her culture, tradition, faith and roots of parents and grandparents but, equally not interested to disturb others beliefs and living atmosphere. Though, the newer and younger generations are not throwing out the memories of the past, but they are not allowing such instances to think afresh and give a new way.
Why did the Opposition fail so miserably even after having very many issues and instances against the incumbent government? Even though the sympathisers and pracharaks of RSS and Sangh Parivar were docile and mostly kept themselves outside the opinion building and campaign, major Opposition failed to create a win-win situation. In several tens of constituencies, cadres of the ruling party were also disheartened and disgusted with the behaviours of their top; Opposition parties could not dislodge them. Falling of bastions like Chindwaras, trouncing in states like Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh and failure to refurbish in states like Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are stark realities to highlight the incomprehensibleness of the Main Opposition Party.
Rahul Gandhi arrived but missed
The principal national opposition leader Rahul Gandhi got a large response from the national ruling party and its star campaigners. Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Sutra got into the enlightened psyche of the electorate. Rahul Gandhi was continuously on the offensive and at no point in time, defensive.
Rahul Gandhi. Photo: X/@INCIndia
His opponents were mostly defensive and had to search for words and phrases to answer and counter. The protection of the constitution and continuation of reservations, as raised by Rahul Gandhi, for the first time resonated throughout the campaign. The electorate reasonably doubted the honesty of the national ruling party on these two things. It’s not a mean achievement but, did not turn into a mandate.
Here lies the crux of shortcomings. For introspection, there is not much necessity for brainstorming. Just, a meticulous and scientific assessment of the shortcomings in strategies, state by state and failure in communicating through their own cadre and sympathiser channels will find the reason for the outcomes. The personal absence of Mamata Banerjee in the opposition group needs immediate correction. The message of waiting till the appropriate time to claim and stake further is shrewd and keeping open, the options for the future. The amalgamation of oneness and safe chemistry among all in the opposition is direly needed with a complete understanding of the tastes and interests of individual newly elected members of all parties of the bloc. Longer the ignoring from the leadership of parties of this crucial point will prove more risky in the arithmetic.
Ananda Bhaskar Rapolu (@abrapolu) is a former Member of Parliament, who represented Andhra Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha from 2012-2014, and then represented Telangana till 2018.
