The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): The INDIA bloc has shown unexpected resilience in the 2024 elections, despite facing significant challenges. Before the pollsters and pundits retrofit their wisdom to the verdict on June 4, congratulations are in order.
INDIA bloc leaders held a press briefing on June 1 (photo courtesy @INCIndia/X), where they displayed unity and resolve. Exit polls, often unreliable as seen in past elections like in 2004 and various assembly elections, are not to be taken at face value.
The 2024 elections were particularly difficult to predict due to widespread hesitance to speak openly. The atmosphere of fear and mistrust made people cautious, even those desiring change. The INDIA bloc’s potential upset win seemed unlikely before the elections started on April 19.
The ‘ragtag’ INDIA bloc, initially underestimated, managed to challenge Modi’s BJP effectively. Distrust in the partisan Election Commission and the electoral process was at an all-time high, further complicating the political landscape.
If the Opposition bloc succeeds (which seemed probable by May 30), it will owe its victory to a savvy electorate resisting a regime determined to suppress political opposition. The INDIA bloc, led by Rahul Gandhi, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray, Tejashwi Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav, set the agenda for these elections, focusing on everyday concerns like inflation and unemployment, and the long-term consequences of BJP’s actions on the Constitution.
The INDIA bloc’s battle against the BJP’s powerful propaganda machinery, led by mainstream media, deserves recognition. Even as late as early April, few believed the INDIA bloc could put up a credible fight. The consecration of the Ram Mandir was expected to secure victory for the BJP. However, within a week, key INDIA bloc constituents joined the BJP, and prominent Congressmen like Milind Deora also switched sides.
January was dramatic. The Opposition’s decision to boycott the Ram Mandir ceremony was projected by the BJP as anti-Hindu, and various political maneuvers, including the arrest of Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren and freezing of Congress’s bank accounts, pushed the Opposition to the wall.
Despite these setbacks, the INDIA bloc mounted a robust resistance. Mainstream media and pollsters began to concede that the contest was tight. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, confident of a third term, ignored pressing issues like price rise and unemployment in his speeches, focusing instead on inaugurating a new parliament building.
The Opposition faced internal challenges with seat-sharing talks stalling and various parties deciding to contest independently. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) was criticized, but it proved to be a significant mobilizing effort, despite being blacked out by mainstream media.
The Congress manifesto, released in April, played a crucial role in shaping public opinion. It addressed critical issues like job security, health, education, and rural development with specific solutions, resonating with voters.
The INDIA bloc outwitted the BJP by not projecting a prime ministerial candidate, forcing Modi to confront regional leaders individually. His narrative against dynasties failed to gain traction, and he had little to say about the BJP’s own manifesto.
While the BJP and NDA might still win due to their resources and control over democratic institutions, the INDIA bloc’s effort has made an Opposition victory conceivable. For this, the INDIA bloc deserves recognition.
