The 900 million strong Indian electorate gave a resounding victory to BJP under the leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi. The victory signals a new trend in Indian politics. Never has any party apart from Congress been given a mandate consequently for two terms to form a government without the need for support from other political parties. BJP didn’t perform exceedingly well on economic (1 pp higher gdp than the previous government) & unemployment indicators (0.2 pp dip in the unemployment rate over the last four years) but still got a full mandate. Hyper-Nationalism combined with new rejuvenated pride for the Hindu identity played a role but what swung the election decisively was the lack a leader parallel to PM Modi on a national scale. So many swing voters didn’t see any point in reverting to dynasty politics of the Congress party, where Mr. Rahul Gandhi whose primary claim to the PM post is being born into the Gandhi family was at the helm.

“No alternative” voter (a chunk of the 60 million swing votes) is anyone who voted for BJP only for the reason that they didn’t see a reliable alternative this election. They knew that not only did the BJP’s performance not live up to the promise of 2014 on employment & economy but were also responsible for encouraging unhinged bigotry and milking the benefits. However, the strong need of “democratizing politics” at the top level swung the vote unanimously in favor of BJP. “No alternative” voter wants a leader they can relate to & aspire to be. “No alternative” voter relates to Modi as he is a self-made man while they aspire to have Modi’s confidence. Rise of Modi is a symptom of a generational shift in mindset from having low self-esteem to being more confident.

“No Alternative” voter got the desired outcome, but their primary duty starts now. They must use their voice on different platforms to keep pushing BJP & the opposition for the next five years to achieve the objectives of their vote. It starts with pushing Congress to do a fresh start without Rahul Gandhi. Congress has to get free from dynastic politics & return as a strong opposition. The party has to make themselves democratic to win in a democracy. The top-down effect from Congress can cascade downstream and be the start of dynasty free regional parties as well. New faces would breathe a fresh set of ideas across the political landscape rather than return to a cabal of a few families driven political goals.

“No Alternative” voter should also be ready to become the opposition themselves by scrutinizing the actions of the BJP and not hesitating to be vocal in their criticism of lapses in implementation of government policies. Uncontrolled power with no checks & balances can make BJP revert to its worst instinct. Unhinged elements will start to express their bigoted views that have been debunked a long time back to appeal to a particular voter base. Instances in this election like Sadhvi Pragya justifying Godse killing Mahatma Gandhi should have no place in the mainstream discourse in this country. “No Alternative” voter has to fight for Freedom of Speech, creating an environment where minorities feel safe to express their opinion will ensure the supply of a variety of ideas necessary for a vibrant democracy. The freedom will help in a livid feedback loop to make sure BJP’s thought leaders don’t become the new Luteyn’s Delhi*. History tells us that dissent is never suppressed directly but always in a subtle way over time. Lastly, “No Alternative” voter has to make the word liberal great again and take it’s ownership away from “Khan Market liberals*.” Selective outrage of Luteyn’s Delhi has led to the denigration of liberalism in the majority’s mind. Selective tracking of lynchings of the minority by Hindus, associating terror with only Hinduism & mocking anything associated with saffron color has lead the Hindu majority to ignore the contentious actions of BJP. The constant theme to divide vote share based on religion has ironically lead the Hindu majority to ignore caste lines and vote for BJP. “No Alternative” voter should lead as a true liberal and criticize BJP for any missteps they take in the next five years.

Sources

World Bank Economic Data — GDP Growth YOY over time https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG?locations=IN

CEIC data — Unemployment rate over time https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/india/unemployment-rate