By Varghese K George
TheHindu.com
May 16, 2014
As trends from across the country emerge, it is clear that Narendra
Modi will be the next prime minister of India. With leads in 530 of the
543 seats available, the BJP and its allies were leading in nearly 313
seats, much more than the halfway mark.
What appears also clear by 11 am, within three hours after the
counting begun, is that the BJP is headed for a historic victory and the
Congress towards a catastrophic failure. The BJP appears sweeping
Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, while
Congress mascot Rahul Gandhi faces a tough battle in home constituency
Amethi. Mr Gandhi is trailing behind his BJP opponent Smriti Irani in
early counting rounds, while SP supremo Mulayam Singh just may lose in
Azamgarh.
Not only has the BJP consolidated in its strongholds such as Gujarat
and Rajasthan, it has emerged from the ashes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
and blazed a new trail in unlikely states such as West Bengal and Assam.
The BJP also was leading in one seat in Kerala – a state where the
party had marginal presence.
With the stamp of Mr Modi writ all over the outcome, the Gujarat
strongman has emerged as a pan-Indian leader, who has overcome barriers
of geography, caste, class and demography to stitch together an alliance
that catapulted the saffron party to an impressive victory. Early last
year, when he took over the reins of the BJP campaign, it was gasping
for survival, but what followed has perhaps changed the political
landscape of India.
The process of government formation will kick in with the election
commissioners meeting the president of India on 19th evening to present
him the results of the 16th general elections. The BJP parliamentary
party will elect him the leader soon after and the swearing in could be
expected on 23rd or 24th of May.
Equally startling as the BJP victory is the comprehensive defeat of
the Congress that has been at the head of the government for the last 10
years. There appeared hardly any state other than Kerala, where the
party was expected to hold on to a respectable presence. Party
heavyweights ranging from Kapil Sibal to Kamal Nath and new entrants
such as IT czar Nandan Nilekani appeared beaten at the hustings.
Friday, May 16, 2014
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