Lok Sabha polls: PM Modi warns ministers against complacency

New Delhi: Even though the consecration of Sri Ramjanmabhumi temple at Ayodhya has built favorable momentum for the BJP in Hindi heartland and definitely beyond, the ever pragmatic Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told his Cabinet Ministers not to swept by armchair political analysts and put in their best for the forthcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Rather than be complacent about the pro-incumbency mood of the public towards the Modi government, PM Modi has told his ministers that nothing is done till it is done as the party is still haunted by the 2004 elections, where the BJP leadership got casual in the final stretch. The Congress under Sonia Gandhi became the largest party in Lok Sabha by being mere seven seats ahead of the BJP and rustled up a UPA alliance to rule for next 10 years with Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister.

While BJP chorus boys have started believing in “abki baar 400 paar (this time BJP will get 400 seats)”, PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have done serious number crunching and have left nothing to chance with fresh mutually beneficial alliance with JD (U) in caste-dominated Bihar and positive vibes with BJD in Odisha. It is quite evident that Odisha strongman Naveen Patnaik will keep his distance from BJP albeit with a benign eye and away from the Congress as the longest serving Chief Minister abhors the “court culture” of the oldest party.

Despite the all-round work done by the Modi government with growing economy and global clout, the BJP will have to rely on their “pana pramukhs (electoral list organizers)” to ensure that its supporters reach the polling booth and vote rather than give it a pass thinking that PM Modi was coming to power for the third time. Even though the INDIA bloc appears to be in disarray, its supporters including the largest minority community will come out in large numbers with a singular desire to vote out the BJP from power. The objective of the Opposition is to vote out the BJP leaving the government formation to a future date based on cobbling of numbers.

Given that the BJP is on a front-foot in Hindi heartland with blessing of Shri Ram Lalla, the party-RSS machinery is being greased up to ensure that the ‘karyakartas (workers)’ are enthusiastic and motivated in getting Narendra Modi as Prime Minister for the third time in May 2024. However, the party will have to put in a humongous effort to retain its numbers and more in Karnataka and breach the DMK citadel in Tamil Nadu and the Left network in Kerala. The same holds true for West Bengal as Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee will fight tooth and nail against the BJP and try to reduce the LS seat numbers from last time.

As PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah know that election winning requires arithmetic after chemistry, the leadership is pressing hard on its key generals to keep reiterating the work done by the present government to the public by reaching out to them—from the first time voter to the proverbial fence sitters.