Journalism of Courage
Yet another counting day, yet another day for the BJP to smile. The party is going to form the government in Tripura and its alliance with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is heading towards a win in Nagaland. The win against the CPM-led Left parties in Tripura is certainly the brightest feather in its victory hat because it has reduced the Communists to just one state in the electoral scene.
The party’s achievement in Tripura has another significant difference from the BJP’s last wins. Unlike the last elections, Tripura was a state where the BJP did not rely on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity alone. Its ideological parent, the RSS has been on the ground for the last two years, working hard and meticulously.
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As the party ensured a comfortable lead, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who addressed media along with chief strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma and the man-on-the-ground Sunil Deodhar, attributed the victory to the people of Tripura and Tripurasundari (Lalita Tripurasundari). He was quick to mention Prime Minister Modi’s rallies and the efforts the party has done for some time.
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The RSS’ role was very evident from the presence of Sunil Deodhar, the Sangh man assigned for Tripura. While Madhav and Sarma were overseeing every move in the state and laid down a meticulous plan, it was Deodhar who stayed in the state for 500 days and worked to implement it. Deodhar, who was the campaign manager of Modi in his election from Varnasi in 2014, was appointed by BJP chief Amit Shah as prabhari in 2014 itself. A beaming Deodhar was seen on television channels explaining how the strategy of Panna Pramukh yielded result in the state.
While Prime Minister had asked his cabinet colleagues to visit the Northeastern states frequently and take special care for the projects there, the RSS leadership was closely monitoring the works of the organisation there. In December, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat visited Tripura and addressed volunteers in Guwahati also. The Sangh’s efforts to highlight the lack of development works and the neglect of the state have prepared the ground for the BJP to enter with the policies and promises on development.
Their consistent efforts including voluntary works helped the BJP to remove the “mental blocks” among the electorate against the party, said a party insider.
The feat of BJP, which has clear leads in more than 40 of the 60 seats as of now, is no ordinary one. The party had no presence in the state and polled just 1.54 per cent votes in 2013, with almost every one of the 50 candidates it fielded losing their deposits. The party’s organisation strength was nothing compared to the cadre strength of the CPI-M. Deodhar’s task was to convert the electorates’ desire for change into a trend in favour of the BJP. Its strategy of joining hands with the small parties or group in the areas where it is weak also worked. The party had joined hands with IPFT which had a considerable support in the tribal areas. And as a result the BJP has won 42.3 per cent votes (as of the Election Commission website at 1230) and the IPFT got 7.7 per cent and together they won 50 per cent of the total votes in Tripura.
With this verdict, the BJP has not only reiterated its supremacy in national politics but also established its dominance in the strategically significant North-East region. This result will keep its morale high for the upcoming Karnataka election. (Such upbeat mood make significant difference in the attitude and works of the cadre, leaders from all parties agree).
However, the results could push the Opposition parties to unite against the BJP. The fall of the last red bastion could trigger demands in the CPI-M to reconsider its latest decision not to have any alliance with the Congress. The Bengal unit as well as general secretary Sitaram Yechury, who have been maintaining that a united Opposition is the need of the hour to protect the democratic and secular credentials of India, could sharpen their argument and pitch for it.
