The results of the Lok Sabha
elections 2014 reflect a clear right-ward shift in Indian politics. The misrule
of the Congress-led government at the centre, which has presided over the most
corrupt and anti-people regime in the post-independence period, had led to
popular anger across the country. It is this revulsion against the Congress
which has led to its historic debacle and a landslide victory for the BJP-led
NDA. The Indian corporates joined hands with the RSS-BJP to launch an aggressive
campaign under Narendra Modi’s leadership. For the secular, progressive and
democratic forces, the times ahead are going to be challenging.
The BJP has been successful in
projecting itself as the only viable alternative to the Congress at the centre.
In the absence of any credible non-Congress, non-BJP alternative at the
national level, popular vote has swung in favour of the BJP. It is noteworthy
that the only non-NDA parties which could perform well in these elections — AIADMK,
TMC and BJD — had adopted a clear line of equidistance from the Congress and
the BJP. Those perceived to be even close to the Congress have been punished. The
SP and BSP which had provided outside support to the Congress-led government at
the Centre have also fared poorly.
A significant feature of the
elections has been the decimation of the CPI(M)-led Left Front, especially in its
erstwhile stronghold of West Bengal. The fact that the BJP has been able to win
(almost)/as many seats as the Left in West Bengal and make a substantive dent in
the Left’s vote share across the state, is a matter of grave concern for the
Left minded people. Even in Kerala, the LDF lost out to the Congress-led UDF,
which has been routed elsewhere. The Left’s debacle is a direct outcome of the
costly errors of the CPI(M) leadership, especially its opportunistic vacillation
vis-à-vis the Congress, for which it needs to take collective responsibility.
Prasenjit Bose
16.05.2014
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