Editor,
The mandate in the recently concluded general elections has brought in a lot of questions, introspections and further strategies the way ahead of 2024. The election has been a big lesson for the BJP at large with the party squandering 31-seat majority in Lok Sabha and is down to 32 from being the single majority party in the NDA alliance. Now this has allowed the allies who have agreed to support to put certain conditions.
Now the kind of portfolios that the major allies are out to demand from Narendra Modi will be a wait and watch move that will test the tactical skills of the PM designate. The way the results have shown re-emphasised that fact that the people of India have seen in the previous years of being driven by a Modi-fied image of bulldozing issues and going against people’s sentiments has in one way put the brakes on whatever plans were in place.
For the BJP to deal with experienced politicians like Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar will be a different ball game altogether considering their leverage that they currently have over others and they are a group that can wait and hold decisions taken in Parliament as it is understandable even before the start of this government being installed. The coming days will be interesting to watch regarding the role of the two key ‘king makers’.
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar
Shillong
