The impermanence in politics became starkly clear on June 4 when the votes of the long drawn out seven-phase polling for the new Lok Sabha were counted. The indications that the exit polls had got it wrong, came quite early in the morning, a little over an hour after counting began.
By evening it had been established that while the ruling NDA had been given a third consecutive term, it was not a carte blanche handed over, there would be checks and balances.
That the exit polls had got it wrong was never in doubt. Long experience of covering elections has led to the acceptance that the Indian voter cannot and will not be taken for granted.
The man and woman on the street have a mind of their own and when it comes to voting do not hesitate to make it known.
They did it in this election and the NDA, therefore, is back with a narrower margin than in 2014 and 2019, and, for the first time in a decade, the BJP will be leading a coalition government where it is not in majority on its own.
In 2014 and 2019, the BJP was not just the single largest party, but had also crossed the halfway mark on its own. In 2019, it had got a substantial majority, yet both times it had shared power with its allies.
That the exit polls had got it wrong was never in doubt. Long experience of covering elections has led to the acceptance that the Indian voter cannot and will not be taken for granted.
The pressures on the ruling coalition will now be different, as partners are in a position to demand and seek recompense for their support. For the BJP that had sailed through two terms with an upper hand, this will be a very different term, where time and effort will have to be invested in keeping allies happy and in check.
The return of the regional parties indicates that in India, politics can never be a two or three party system. The allies, therefore, are going to play a major role.
Back in the game are the SP, TMC, TDP, JDU, the two SSs, all with their limited regional influences.
With the return of the Samajwadi Party, Trinamul Congress, Telugu Desam Party, Indian politics has regained its regional flavour, though in Odisha the BJD has lost an election after 24 years in power.
The term ahead won’t be easy for the NDA. There is now a stronger opposition and the Congress, a distant second to the BJP in the numbers game, has redeemed itself as the principal opposition party.
The Congress, to continue to remain relevant across India, has to step up its strategy and rebuild the organisation.
The term ahead won’t be easy for the NDA. There is now a stronger opposition and the Congress, a distant second to the BJP in the numbers game, has redeemed itself as the principal opposition party.
Take for instance Goa. If Congress was able to muster campaign support in South Goa and eventually win it with a small margin, it was entirely because of the work by its candidate Captain Viriato Fernandes and his team.
In stark contrast, the North Goa campaign was almost invisible as Congress was not able to pull its weight behind its candidate Ramakant Khalap. It lost in this constituency by over a lakh votes.
This is not just the situation that the party faces in Goa, but is common across India. It has leaders, it needs workers on the ground who mushroom not just at election time but are with the party throughout.
The main strength of the BJP is it cadres who stand with the party in all circumstances. Congress needs to build that army and retain it.
The transitoriness in politics therefore can be seen in the drop in numbers of the BJP, the recovery by the Congress and the return of the regional parties as kingmakers and powerbrokers. Indian politics is always fluid and interesting.
The election is over, the Indian voter has spoken. Now, governance matters. The new government that will be formed has representation from almost all regions and all sections have to be given due consideration.
This is not just the situation that the party faces in Goa, but is common across India. It has leaders, it needs workers on the ground who mushroom not just at election time but are with the party throughout.
There have been lots of promises, which have to be met. There have been assurances made that have to be kept. The new government cannot ignore any section from its policies. It has to embrace all.
Further, it has to fast track employment generation. A common refrain during the campaign was the lack of jobs for the educated. This perhaps is one issue that led to the NDA, and BJP in particular, to losing seats in the northern belt.
Time, therefore, to get back to work, in giving India a government after the long election campaign break during which only urgent matters were decided.