DNA Edit: It’s Narendra Modi all the way

‘Brand Modi’ has powered the BJP to another landslide victory, this time in the municipal corporation elections in Delhi. From polls at the level of local self government institutions to Parliament, the BJP now has a tried and tested strategy that looks unlikely to fail them anytime in the near future. The BJP’s performance in the three Delhi municipal corporations was nothing to write home about. Sanitation, the MCD’s major responsibility, remains in a shambles. Yet, the party went into the polls from a position of strength. It was helped by the fact that the electorate’s fine comb was reserved for the AAP, which had won an astounding 67 of the 70 seats in Delhi in the 2015 Assembly elections. The anti-incumbency was directed at AAP rather than the BJP.

What is it with PM Modi that the electorate is willing to overlook local level performance issues and go for a man who will certainly not be ruling the MCD? During the Assembly polls, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had shrewdly projected the fact that PM Modi would not be ruling Delhi and the electorate had bought into that pitch. But two years later, Kejriwal has diminished but Modi’s aura has grown. The ‘Modi won’t be ruling your state or city or panchayat’ argument brandished by opponents when the BJP hardsells the Prime Minister as the party’s USP and panacea for all problems is not working any longer. For the voter, Modi now represents a culture of governance associated with bold decisions like demonetization and appealing slogans like “na khaoonga na khaane doonga” and “sabka saath sabka vikas”.

Not surprisingly, the PM routinely gets credit for every BJP electoral victory — from the panchayat to the parliamentary level. Not since Indira Gandhi for the Congress has an Indian politician captured the admiration of the electorate and the grudging respect of the Opposition for being such a formidable campaigner. Modi also scores as a powerful orator. But one mistake Indira made was that the same fervour she showed in anointing chief ministers and unseating regional satraps was not reserved for monitoring the functioning of state governments and party units. As a result, the Congress did not take long to fade away after her departure from the scene. In contrast, PM Modi keeps a close watch on the performance of his chief ministers, and through BJP president Amit Shah, the state party units. The electoral scene shifts to Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh now.