LokSabha Polls indicate BJP's march towards Presidential Form of Government
DR.H.S CHANDALIA
The entire campaign of BhartiyaJanata Party in 2019 LokSabha elections has been on the slogan " Abki Bar ModiSarkar". Whether it is West Bengal or Rajasthan , Kerala or Uttar Pradesh the campaign of BJP is built around a single person who is himself so much self-flattering that he himself calls upon people to vote for Modi. This is height of narcissism. Addressing a rally in Udaipur on 22nd April, 2019 Modi took his own name almost a dozen times and called his government " ModiSarkar" instead of " BJP Sarkar". The agenda is clear. They want to convert the entire election into an event of personal glorification and hero worship. Unfortunately , major opposition party Indian National Congress has also fallen into this trap and has allowed BJP to make this election a Modi versus Rahul contest which is ultimately self -defeating. The variety of issues in different parts of the country, local leadership, regional languages and cultural issues, local needs of the people , issues of potable water and lean agriculture no more form the agenda of political debates even in state level campaigns his is dangerous. The result could be a rise in the political strength of regional parties in states like UP, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir , Maharashtra and Delhi. It may be seen that in the forthcoming elections the regional parties may emerge with bigger presence in the Parliament.
There are statements made by opposition parties that if Modi wins 2019 elections there won't be any elections any more. It may be better stated as there will not be elections of the present nature where we will have opposition playing on a level playing field. Even today, if one compares the assets of BJP and its campaign cost , no party can match it. In 2014 elections during 75 days of campaigning BJP spent Rs.712.48 Crores, INC spent Rs. 486.21 Crores, NCP spent Rs.64.48 Crores, BSP spent Rs. 30.06 Crores and CPI spent Rs. 6.72 Crores. The BJP had been out of power then. In last five years the assets of BJP have grown immensely. Even in 2014 it was not a level playing ground. In 2019 it is going to be pretty more uneven. In a report published on 4th April, 2019 PTI has stated that the BJP has topped the chart of political advertisers on Google with an advertisement spent share of around 32 per cent, while its rival Congress is ranked sixth with a meager 0.14 per cent share. Political parties and their affiliates have spent Rs. 3.76 crore on advertisements since February 19, 2019, according to the internet giant's Indian Transparency Report . This could be an indicator of total expenses on advertisement. This means that if Modi wins 2019 elections , 2024 elections will be on an extremely uneven plane. Then perhaps it would be easier for the BJP to campaign for a Presidential form of government since even now they are talking of " Who against Modi?"
Source : DR.H.S CHANDALIALokSabha Polls indicate BJP's march towards Presidential Form of Government Dr.H.S.Chandalia The entire campaign of BhartiyaJanata Party in 2019 LokSabha elections has been on the slogan " Abki Bar ModiSarkar". Whether it is West Bengal or Rajasthan , Kerala or Uttar Pradesh the campaign of BJP is built around a single person who is himself so much self-flattering that he himself calls upon people to vote for Modi. This is height of narcissism. Addressing a rally in Udaipur on 22nd April, 2019 Modi took his own name almost a dozen times and called his government " ModiSarkar" instead of " BJP Sarkar". The agenda is clear. They want to convert the entire election into an event of personal glorification and hero worship. Unfortunately , major opposition party Indian National Congress has also fallen into this trap and has allowed BJP to make this election a Modi versus Rahul contest which is ultimately self -defeating. The variety of issues in different parts of the country, local leadership, regional languages and cultural issues, local needs of the people , issues of potable water and lean agriculture no more form the agenda of political debates even in state level campaigns his is dangerous. The result could be a rise in the political strength of regional parties in states like UP, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir , Maharashtra and Delhi. It may be seen that in the forthcoming elections the regional parties may emerge with bigger presence in the Parliament. There are statements made by opposition parties that if Modi wins 2019 elections there won't be any elections any more. It may be better stated as there will not be elections of the present nature where we will have opposition playing on a level playing field. Even today, if one compares the assets of BJP and its campaign cost , no party can match it. In 2014 elections during 75 days of campaigning BJP spent Rs.712.48 Crores, INC spent Rs. 486.21 Crores, NCP spent Rs.64.48 Crores, BSP spent Rs. 30.06 Crores and CPI spent Rs. 6.72 Crores. The BJP had been out of power then. In last five years the assets of BJP have grown immensely. Even in 2014 it was not a level playing ground. In 2019 it is going to be pretty more uneven. In a report published on 4th April, 2019 PTI has stated that the BJP has topped the chart of political advertisers on Google with an advertisement spent share of around 32 per cent, while its rival Congress is ranked sixth with a meager 0.14 per cent share. Political parties and their affiliates have spent Rs. 3.76 crore on advertisements since February 19, 2019, according to the internet giant's Indian Transparency Report . This could be an indicator of total expenses on advertisement. This means that if Modi wins 2019 elections , 2024 elections will be on an extremely uneven plane. Then perhaps it would be easier for the BJP to campaign for a Presidential form of government since even now they are talking of " Who against Modi?"
