Two more nails in the coffin

It has been a show of woman power at the recent Indian state elections, with Jayalalitha and Mamata Banerjee sweeping the polls.

Many thought that with the court case hanging over her head like a Damocles Sword, Jayalalitha didn’t stand much of a chance. She proved them all wrong, winning with a considerable margin. The exit polls predicted return of DMK but they too were proved wrong yet again. 

The biggest winner in this election is Mamata Banerjee. With the gloom of Sharada Ponzi scam clouds hanging over its head, detractors predicted doom for TMC. They expected return of Left parties with their allies. They could not have been more wrong. She retained power with a massive lead sweeping all opposition aside. After this massive win, some political experts are projecting Mamata Banerjee as a national leader, a PM material. Yeah, why not!

There seems to be some kind of secret pact between LDF and UDF for ruling the state by taking turns. Accordingly, this time it was LDF's turn. In the melee of wins and losses from these two parties, a lone lotus bloomed. One single win against a prediction of 70+. Perhaps, a resounding echo of "Po Mone".

The lone single win was by the 86 years old veteran, O. Rajagopal. With the kind of following he has, he would have anyway won even if he had represented some vague unknown party. Wonder whose great idea it was from BJP think tanks to field Sreesanth as their candidate. Perhaps, they should have sent him to Harbhajan Sing to validate his eligibility.

Victory for BJP in Assam was very much expected. May be "assam chai" ploy got sold after all! Actually, it hardly mattered whether Assam people fell for it or not. After three long terms of Tarun Gogoi, people would have naturally wanted change. It could well be a strategic mistake by Congress Party. Old guard should have made way for a new younger face.

It is a great personal victory for Sarbananda Sonowal, the new CM elect of Assam. However, it is just the beginning of tough times ahead. Incessant natural calamities aside, there are many sticky issues that have been plaguing Assam,  the issue of migrants of Bangladesh origin for one.

Even though the performance of BJP was deplorable in west and south (Tamil Nadu: 0, Puducherry:  0, Kerala: 1, West Bengal: 3), the BJP is wallowing in apparent success and jubilation at Assam triumph. Tumultuous celebrations were witnessed at BJP office with rose petals showered from balconies on PM Modi, Amit Shah and other BJP ministers and party members.  It looked as though victorious warriors were being welcomed from the battlefield. More than the win of Assam,  the loss of two more states by Congress Party could have made them so ecstatic, so euphoric.

It has become quite evident again that displacing regional parties in the states is next to impossible. The only thing that may work is by becoming an ally to get a foothold and understand how the local mechanics work.

Now that “Decision 2016” is settled, could it be time for the “gaadi” to change gear from “election” mode or “Gandhi Bashing” mode into “drive” mode! May be not, for other state elections are just around the corner. More strategy, more speeches, more rhetoric’s, more mudslinging, more character assassinations needed, lots to be planned.

With the Assam win, will BJP come out of the Congress/Gandhi phobia? Perhaps not. Their fear appears to be too deep rooted. It may not be a bad idea to get some counseling to redeem themselves of the fear.

Meanwhile, Subramaniam Swamy is busy with his usual antics. He had turned the Rajya Sabha into his personal Twitter handle, saying anything he fancied, using his stupid acronyms and innuendos, throwing allegations at anyone he fancied. 

This time he is after the RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan. He is either aiming for the RBI Governor post or just doing somebody’s bidding, it is anybody’s guess. The time is not far when he will become an uncontrollable liability. It won’t be a surprise even if his loose cannons are aimed at BJP politicians. History will show, how good he is at changing color like a chameleon.

As for Congress Party, it is two more nails in the coffin. Their situation is like the cricket team facing a do or die match to qualify for play offs. If they do not take corrective, realistic, positive actions now, if they continue with the same complacency as witnessed in the last two years, it is “game over”.