The record mandate won by the BJP in Gujarat raises the bar for its new government in the state. There are high expectations of the party that has won its seventh victory in a row. It will be its task not only to keep the promises it made in its manifesto, but also to nurture and strengthen an ecosystem that builds on the existing development in the state, and provides a hospitable space for the exercise of citizens’ freedoms even as it enhances the ease of doing business. The BJP has swept back to power in the so-called laboratory for Hindutva not merely because of the terrible diminishment of the opposition. Its victory is also a testament to its own refusal to take its bastion for granted, and to its unflagging striving to win.
But a 156-seat share in a House of 182, with 52.5 per cent votes, does not just pose serious questions to the BJP’s Opposition. Going ahead, it also translates into challenges for the victor. The new government must get down to work in a political landscape where there is little or no Opposition to keep it honest, or on its toes. It must, in a sense, play the role of its own opposition by acknowledging and addressing the weak spots – for instance, social spending on health and education is comparatively low in Gujarat. It must resist giving in to the temptations of triumphalism and, instead, firm up feedback mechanisms, and strengthen the system of checks and balances while listening to those whose voices may not be the most loud or assertive. In fact, some of the challenges for the new government were framed in the run-up to the polls — a suspension bridge collapsed in Morbi, killing 135 people, and raising serious questions of state accountability. Before that, those convicted of rape and murder in the 2002 Bilkis Bano case were released prematurely, pointing to the need to ensure that processes of justice remain inclusive and take a lawful course. The images of policemen in plainclothes publicly flogging youths from the minority community accused of disrupting a garba event in Kheda were also disquieting. Though they did not reflect on the final scoreboard, Gujarat’s new government must heed the voices of discontent on the ground on a range of issues — from the paper leaks that have let down aspiring youths seeking government jobs through competitive exams, to the persisting economic fallout of Covid.
Now that the election is won, the Bhupendra Patel government must ensure that the faultlines stoked and sharpened by competitive politics subside and are, in fact, softened and blunted by the outreach of the government to all sections. While setting more ambitious targets for economic growth in Gujarat, the needs and aspirations of the youth, the underprivileged and the vulnerable must be taken on board.
