New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strategists are hopeful that the TINA (There Is No Alternative) factor will help the party and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) sail through the electoral battle, which will ultimately see the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to power for the second consecutive term. They also feel that the Opposition parties are bereft of issues which have a connect with the voters.
A BJP leader said: “As the country gears up for the third phase of Lok Sabha elections, there is a growing perception all over the country, which even the strongest critics of BJP admit, that the BJP is going to be the single largest party after the results are announced on 23 May. This perception got strengthened due to the fact that the ‘Mahagathbandhan’, which was pitched to take on the BJP, has failed to take off at the national level, while the Congress, which is mostly contesting on its own in most parts of the country, has failed to catch the fancy of the voters, which gives an edge to the NDA.”
There is also a feeling that the Congress, which won the Assembly elections in three key states—Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh—failed miserably in “capitalizing” on the victory just a few months ago, so much so that people have now almost forgotten that the Congress successfully wrested these states from the BJP.
What has added to the plight of the “Mahagathbandhan” and Congress is the fact that none of the two has declared its Prime Ministerial candidate. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has made it clear that he was not in the race for the top post, while the other parties have not projected any such face. There is no leader in the Opposition camp, who can match the profile and stature of Modi, the BJP leader said. As regards regional parties, their fight is confined to their respective states only where they have stronghold.
He said that in such a situation, it’s only the BJP, which is contesting the elections with a Prime Ministerial face, which, according to BJP leaders, makes it different from the other parties. “Not only that, we have fielded more than 400 candidates, whereas the Congress has not even fielded 300 candidates. Forget about other parties whose number of candidates is not even in three digits. Therefore, we are the only party which is contesting seriously, making a sincere effort to form the government. How can those parties, which are contesting not even 100 seats, provide a stable government at the Centre?” he wondered.
“The TINA factor is at work as Congress as well as other Opposition parties have failed to position themselves as a cohesive unit. They have not been able to provide their alternative vision to run the country and tell the voters how they are going to be different from the BJP. All this is working in our favour and allies,” the BJP leader said.
BJP leaders also feel that the issues raised by the Opposition before the elections have failed to strike a chord with the voters. “They tried to make Rafale a big issue. But it is hardly any talking point in the election campaign. Similar is the case with GST (termed by Rahul Gandhi as “Gabbar Singh Tax”) and demonetisation, which have failed to become major issues in the election narrative. The Opposition, in fact, is fighting without issues,” the leader said.
In the absence of a credible alternative leader and issues, it is the BJP which is setting the agenda—from nationalism to crusade against terrorism and good governance. Modi and other star campaigners are reminding the votes about the speed with which developmental projects were implemented, like the rural electrification, national highways, Ujjawala scheme and direct benefit transfer.