Opinion: Not Just Post-Poll Introspection, BJP Needs Course Correction At Top Tiers Of Leadership

The Uttar Pradesh BJP has asked for reports from its local leadership to review and introspect the poll drubbing that the party faced in the state during recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections. According to sources, the initial report on BJP's defeat in Uttar Pradesh has been prepared. This report has been prepared at the mandal level, detailing the reasons for the loss. According to the report, many candidates became overly enthusiastic, assuming victory solely based on the names of PM Modi and CM Yogi. Additionally, there was public discontent with MPs who had won more than twice, and some MPs did not maintain proper behaviour with the public. In some districts, there was a lack of coordination between MLAs and their own MPs, which led to the defeat. The party officials also did not have good coordination with the MPs. The state government had recommended changing or removing tickets for about three dozen MPs, but this advice was ignored.

The report also mentions the failure to effectively counter the claims and promises of the opposition. According to the report, the BJP failed to properly respond to the opposition's claims about changing the constitution and ending reservations, allowing the opposition to spread confusion successfully. The opposition parties were able to mislead the public on issues like the paper leak and the Agniveer schemes. Additionally, the Congress's promise of guaranteeing eight and a half thousand rupees per month in Uttar Pradesh also harmed the BJP.

The distance between the BJP and RSS after the election results has also become a topic of discussion. The mandal-level report points to this as well. According to the report, the previous harmony and communication between the RSS and BJP workers were lacking. BJP's campaigning appeared more mechanical rather than connected with voters at the grassroots level. Instead of engaging with people in streets and local areas, leaders assumed victory through upper-level campaigning.

While these claims are true to a certain extent, what the BJP needs is not just introspection but course correction at a higher level. The majority of the people are of the opinion that the BJP leaders under Narendra Modi became arrogant and turned a deaf ear to the pleas of workers and the problems of the common man. Such was the performance and arrogance of senior leaders that 19 Union ministers lost the polls, significantly denting the BJP's tally. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has also said that one who serves people remains far from arrogance. 

BJP leaders were of the opinion that they would win the election in Modi's name just like in 2014 and 2014. They underestimated the combined force of the INDIA bloc clubbed with rhetorics of change in the constitution and claims of ending reservation. But the people showed them that they hold the last say in the polls. The BJP leadership need to realize that they should keep their eyes and ears to the ground and work to resolve the issues troubling the common people be it paper leaks, overcrowded trains, the Agniveer scheme or inflation including the prices of petrol, LPG and cooking oil. 

BJP MPs and MLAs need to work for their constituencies as only Modi's name is not enough for their victory. Performance matters and the top BJP leaders need to convey this message to the elected representatives and establish a mechanism to measure their performance. 

The saffron party also needs a dynamic and independent party president and not just a dummy chief to fill the post. On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah should also realize that the focus should also be on preparing a new bench of grassroots leaders to replace the ageing ones. Neither Modi nor Shah is permanent but the party is. The party needs mass leaders at the state level to keep the party vibrant and growing. Changing leadership in states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are steps in this direction but time will tell how good the new Chief Ministers prove at the helm of these crucial states. Senior leaders should also bury their differences for the common good of the party as the ego war leads only to a downfall.

The BJP should also realize that when every party is promising/offering freebies, then it should also think of some counter offers if it wants to refrain from revadi politics. People of Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have shown their love for freebies and such things are going to become more common in coming elections. Freebies are one of those poll tools of opposition that the BJP has failed to effectively counter on multiple occasions.