This cocktail sank all other burning issues in 2019 parliament elections so much so that BJP swept entire Hindi belt , Gujarat, Karnataka and made its strong presence in West Bengal decimating left, the front once reigns supreme in the state
The massage is that polarisation continues to dominate Indian politics. And social media played its role in strengthening the polarisation. BJP's social media strategists knew it very well that a large section of people start their day with WhatsApp messages and get their daily briefing on how the Modi government had stopped infiltration as well as how it kept Muslims in ‘their place’.
Interestingly, Congress was spelt as ‘Khangress’ and Mamta Banerjee always termed ‘Mumtaz Bano’ in saffron party fed messages on social media. Such messages worked very effectively. So much so that hordes of youngsters came out of lanes in most cities and took rallies on their own. The nonstop coverage on TV channels projecting ‘Brand Modi’ helped in convincing people to give PM a second term.
The party organizational apparatus was so well-lubricated that whatever charges against NDA were flown, the party’s workers and supporters had a ready reply to it, a narrative that convinced its core voter.
As against this, Congress and other opposition parties were nowhere. BJP had more than a dozen workers at every polling booth, Congress had none in most of the booths. Moreover, the deep fissures in Congress over sate leadership and ticket distribution worked against party's interests. Leaders worked against each other. For example, in Himachal, party tall leader and ex-chief minister continued his tirade against ex- state party chief, Sukhwinder Singh Shukku and ninegraian Pandit Sukh Ram. The hiatus between two old leaders was so strong that Congress didn't get lead from Rampur, the stronghold of Virbhadra Singh. In all previous elections, Congress had lead from this assembly constituency.
In Haryana, the leadership rivalry between ex-chief minister, BS Hooda, state Cong chief Ashok Tanwar and Kiran Chaudhary and Kumari Shailja left workers demoralized and working against each-other. Party top leadership failed miserably to unite regional satraps. The story is no different in MP and Rajasthan where sulking supporters of Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia, both contenders for chief minister ship, didn't come up as enthusiastically.
These weakness explain why after a few months of emerging victorious in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Congress was literally wiped out in these states. Congress won MP after 15 long years but just after six minths, it has surrendered the state to saffron surge. Given, the slander majority inMP and Rajastham Cong govts can fall under its own weight anytime.
In politics complacency never pays. It goes to the credit of saffron party that it worked very hard to reach the present stage, Its a lesson for Congress and opposition, it’s the time to brace up and start hard work.