‘Mission 150+’ And Other Losers in Gujarat

BJP has clawed itself back into power in Gujarat getting a wafer thin majority of about 7 seats, sliding from 115 it won in 2012 to 99 this time, as per latest results. Its victory is actually a defeat considering all the hype about PM Modi’s halo of ‘invincibility’ and the ‘great’ work done by him and his successors in Gujarat.

But the Gujarat results are also a crushing defeat for a group of players that were instrumental in creating the mythology of Modi, supporting him in the face of all odds and ignoring the people of Gujarat. They are all losers in this election.

Amit Shah and his ‘Mission 150+’: Earlier this year, BJP President and its supposed ‘master strategist’ Amit Shah had predicted that BJP will sweep the Gujarat Assembly elections getting over 150 seats in the 182 member Assembly. He was reportedly the master craftsman behind the plan for achieving this target. It was widely reported that he had worked out a formidable organizational strategy what with ‘panna pramukhs’ keeping tabs on every voter, and booth management ensuring maximum voting for his party. He also worked out political tactics and the Prime Minister’s schedules. All that has come to naught as the BJP is looking at a mere double digit tally instead of the lofty 150+

Corporate Media: Although forced to concede (in random reports) that BJP was facing surprising resistance in Gujarat, the corporate media, especially the electronic arm, exerted itself no end to project Modi and BJP as coasting to victory, especially in the final frantic days. Headlines screamed about how Modi’s oratory had changed the whole agenda, report after report analysed threadbare, supposed ‘game changers’ like Modi dragging in Pakistan’s hand in the electoral process or his emotional blackmail in asking voters to take revenge on those insulting him. Almost all major TV news channels and newspapers carried interviews with ‘master strategist’ BJP president Amit Shah during the campaign. Yet all this has come to naught.

Ambanis, Adanis, Tatas, et al: At the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in January this year, Mukesh Ambani of Reliance had heaped fulsome praise on PM Modi declaring that "Modi ji first transformed Gujarat, now India. No leader has changed the mindset of so many people in such a short while." His certificate was followed by many others in the course of time. Ratan Tata of the Tata Group said that Modi “is able, capable and innovative” and that he would “never forget the way he found solutions for a company that was looking for a home… That just does not happen in India,” referring to how Modi reportedly gave away land at reduced prices to the Group for setting up their car plant. Gautam Adani is reported to be a close crony of Modi and Gujarat has been his stomping ground ever since Modi became chief minister back in 2002. All of them, and other corporate honchos are bound to be getting jitters at the close scrape.

Exit pollsters: This parasitical tribe feeds off people’s curiosity about election results and creates profits for their customers, mostly TV channels. But they has also acquired a larger than life role in Indian electoral politics. This time round, like many times earlier, most pollsters had predicted a major BJP victory: Times Now-VMR said 113 for BJP, ABP-CSDS said 117, Republic-CVoter 115, Sahara samay-CNX 110-120, India Today-Axis 99-113 and NDTV’s Poll of Polls averaged all of these out to 116 for BJP. All have had to bite the dust as BJP is reeling at just 99 seats. Remember: this is not the first time they went wrong, and nor will it be the last.