One in four voted BJP because of Modi

One in four voters of the Bharatiya Janata Party would not have voted for the BJP, had it not been led by Narendra Modi, said Dr Suhas Palshikar, head of the department of politics in Pune University.
Palshikar, who is also known for his sharp political analysis, said this was revealed after deduction of surveys by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), a think tank in New Delhi. Palshikar was speaking at a conference 'Election 2014: A Paradigm Shift in Indian Politics' organized by Pune International Centre on Saturday.

Talking on the first time majority to a non congress party, he elaborated on the fundamental change in Indian politics. "Modi presides over the changing frame of Indian Politics and will definitely try to consolidate this frame. Democracy now means a rule of majority, the power residing in the hands of a specific group."

Analyzing the Lok Sabha 2014 results, he added that Modi represented the aspirational middle class. "27% of the BJP voters would not have voted for the party, if it was not for Modi," he explained.
He added that the BJP victory was also due to the inefficiency of Congress party. While the BJP earned 8 to 9% seats with every 1% increase in vote share, while this statistic remained limited to 2 seats for the Congress.

Dr. Dileep Padgaonkar, Senior Journalist and Chairman of PIC's programme committee added to Palshikar's analysis and said, ''Though the country's politics is changing, but recent developments like the comments on Sania Mirza and statements in the Goa assembly are concerning. We should not extrapolate but should be vigilant." He also added that nothing else but the constitution binds us as a political community.