Being cash rich and not averse to use scare tactics by misusing law enforcement agencies, the BJP has been able to claw its way through even in adverse situation using the stick and carrot method. This was seen when MLAs of other parties defected to it, helping it form the government even when it was in minority, as we saw in the case of Goa, Karnataka and MP.
However, the results of West Bengal elections, during which the BJP put a phenomenal amount of resources and efforts shows that a determined citizenry can ensures that it can be made to bite the dust. So where does one go from here? In a recent article in TOI, MP Pavan Varma, who was earlier expelled from the JD(U), argued that regional parties have no pan India presence and for an effective opposition, the role of the Congress is central and crucial. He pointed out that the Congress is still the principal opposition party in states as far apart as Kerala and Assam. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it garnered 12 crore votes (BJP got 22 crore votes) and 20 % of the electoral vote share.
A joint alliance of regional and national parties is being recognized as the need of the hour more than ever before. The mismanagement of the Coronavirus pandemic has dented the carefully crafted charisma of Modi and even those who used to parrot the formulation “jitega to Modi hi’ (Modi alone will win) and argue that there is no alternative to Modi, now realize that his dictatorial style and highhanded pursuit of sectarian politics are ruining the country all around.
