The opposing verdicts delivered by the electorates of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh have made the country’s political scenario more intriguing. The Gujarat poll results made the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) proud, and with this massive win the party has broken almost all poll records made in Independent India. Whilst Himachal Pradesh has offered a fresh lifeline to the bewildering Congress, which has not won a single election on its own during the last four years. Thus, from now onwards, everyone will anxiously wait to know whether BJP will be able to consolidate its position further despite the Himachal setback or the Congress be able to make a phoenix-like return to Indian politics. An indication of what’s in store will be available in 2023 when several states, spreading from the Northeastern part of the country to down south, will go to polls.
Meanwhile, several important and interesting factors have come to light from the outcome of these two Assembly elections. The Himachal verdict is clearly indicative of the fact that the voters have made their choices based on local issues, while the Gujarat electorate have kept faith on the double-engine theory often propagated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In Himachal, issues concerned with everyday life like weak governance, poor employment rate, etc. have dominated the poll scene. On the other hand, the Gujarat electorate have favoured continuance of BJP government as the principal opposition party, the Congress has miserably failed to set any narrative acceptable to the people in this election. In both states, while voting the electorates used their own wisdom with little influence by propaganda. This very development shows the maturity of the Indian electorate while voting to elect a new government. Moreover, this is a good sign for Indian democracy as it shows that the strength of money and muscle powers are on the wane, which are a bane to free and fair elections. As the electorates have exercised their choices judiciously, it is now turn for the political parties to read the verdict and take necessary steps. Apart from the failure of addressing local issues, infighting had hurt BJP most in the Himachal election. In a 68-member Assembly, BJP faced rebellion in at least 21 seats, which is quite unusual for a regimented party like BJP. The Himachal outcome may have an impact on Karnataka, a state where BJP is divided into many factions. So, the party leadership will have to prevent infighting at any cost to prevent it from going the Congress way. For the Congress the biggest challenge at the present moment is to rejuvenate the party using the Himachal success as a stepping stone. In the coming days, the party will get the chance to apply the Himachal model, especially in states where the Congress is engaged in a direct fight against BJP. The party leadership should come out from its slumber to grab the opportunity with both hands, if it is interested in remaining relevant in Indian politics.