Massive victory: This is how Modi ushered in revolution in UP

This is nothing short of a revolutionary victory for BJP, and it deepens PM Modi’s popular legitimacy - the key to prolonged leadership in a democracy. Modi has emerged as the tallest leader in India with no rival who can match his stature. The verdict also tightens his grip on power and under writes his direct connect with widest swath of Indian society.

The victory will give tighter control over legislation in the Rajya Sabha as well as allow the BJP to choose the next president of India. It will also embolden Modi to undertake radical sweeping reforms.

The BJP won this decisive mandate for four interconnected reasons. The first is the popularity of PM Narendra Modi. People trust him and see in him a powerful figure who takes big decisions unencumbered by family or clan loyalties.

Secondly, it is important to note that at the center, there is a majority government after 25 years. This matters. It allows for bold decision making. It is obvious from this massive mandate that schemes meant for the poor like Jan dhan yojna and others are percolating to the intendend audiences rather then being lost in the deep pockets of the powerful.

Thirdly, this is a huge defeat for the politics of the Samajwadi party which led to administrative paralysis and minority communalism giving a virtual free run to criminal and communal elements. The result underlines that giving immunity to minority and clan criminals is not secularism.

The left is left bereft and doomed to be forever out of power in India because it just does not get the revulsion of the millions of ordinary Indians towards acts and speech that question nationhood.

Finally, the victory exposes the gap between the New Delhi elite and the real causes and concerns of the masses. Here Notebandi is the totum pole, the lightning rod. It was clearly a non issue. Longer lines were formed at voting booths than at bank branches. The coalition of the corrupt that made a hue and cry on notebandi like the Congress ignoring real issues like law and order in UP have faced a stunning vote bandi.

It is ironic that that large sections of the Indian media and the leadership of the opposition just do not know what the people of this country want. Ironically political parties keep in touch through their organization with the aspirations and needs of the poor masses of this huge country. However the leaders like Rahul Gandhi of the congress and Mayawati of the BSP have cut themselves off form their own ordinary party workers. In the process they do not hear their concerns and live in a world of make believe. Make believe world’s do not make for good election result days.

I can say “I told you so!!” about the election results. Elections are fought and won by investing political capital and taking big risks as PM Modi did. The key is people trust him and for UP it wants to be a normal state and has chosen consolidation over caste, votebandi for those who opposed notebandi, development has to be on the ground and not on the drawing board. And 0 plus 0 as SP cong discovered is Zero, not 1!!