After the bruises in three major Hindi-speaking states, the BJP appears to be dusting itself off and starting all over again. If managing headlines can build perceptions, the BJP is back in the game. A big farm relief package that goes beyond loan waivers is in the works. A show of strength at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on January 11-12 during the BJP’s national executive meeting is expected to kick off its 2019 campaign.
The Bihar seat-sharing deal is done. Sending firebrand former Gujarat Minister Gordhan Zadafia to UP as its in-charge for the 2019 polls is a googly as he is a good organiser and a Hindutva sharpshooter. The busting of an ISIS-inspired terror module accentuated the BJP’s image as a party that gives a muscular response to national security issues.
Extradited VIP helicopter scam middleman Christian Michel is already embarrassing the Gandhi family, as is the upcoming movie, The Accidental Prime Minister, on Manmohan Singh’s tenure at the helm. It is propaganda material served on a platter with juicy stories on how Sonia Gandhi was the remote control and how she groomed son Rahul Gandhi as the next PM and party president.
As for the Congress, it would hope Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s book, Against Outrage, timed to be out a month before the general elections, would act as a delayed-release pill that would home in on the target at just the right time. The party has jammed the Rajya Sabha—some business does happen in the Lok Sabha—but it is no longer the big headline of the day. Potential allies, the SP and the BSP in UP, are in a sulk and Mamata Banerjee is acting up.
And seat-sharing headache has already begun in Bihar. Rahul earned grudging respect from friends and foes alike over the last few weeks. He is said to have an easy equation with Sitaram Yechury and Sharad Pawar, but does he have the ability to close deals with allies in big battleground states? With Modi’s personal ratings still high, Rahul’s ability to take him on in a presidential-style contest and exploit anti-incumbency is yet to be tested.