10 lessons that Modi's BJP ought to learn from crushing Bihar defeat

1. Future Vision

Jungle Raj had peaked in mid-nineties. The voter born in 1990 doesn't remember anything of the bad days. Bihar is the youngest state in terms of voter age. The millennials do not connect with the past, they want a future. In 2014 national elections, the BJP led by Narendra Modi consistently focused on development and the future of the youth. This time, the BJP strayed from that plank and kept jumping from one issue to another. Nitish Kumar, the chief minister candidate, stayed put on development while the bile that could rile was left to Lalu Prasad to speak on.

Also Read | Bihar results: Nitish Kumar set to return as CM

2. Tired of Hating

Bihar has had a near-riot-free environment for 26 years. Everyone is invested in that communal harmony. Yet, this election was one of the most communal elections in recent times, held as it was in the backdrop of a national and extremely polarising debate on tolerance and attacks on minorities. The BJP's intent was clearly reflected in president Amit Shah's controversial remarks that Pakistan will celebrate his party's defeat. Bihar decided to celebrate itself, because they knew it was about them, not some distant neighbour.

Also Read | Shiv Sena rubs it in, says PM Modi must take blame for Bihar loss

3. Bihari/Baahari

BJP's chief campaigner Modi is still to come out of his I, Me, Myself syndrome, addressing himself in third person in rallies and having the penchant for claiming to own everybody. Mira Bihar, mere kisaan, mere mazdoor are familiar refrains in a Modi speech. Making as big an election as Bihar about him may have backfired. So much so that the Modi-Shah duo dominated publicity material and local leaders were relegated to the back page. The Mahagathbandhan slogan of Bihari vs Baahari resonated in this backdrop. Take for example, it preferred Ajay Devgn over its Bihari crowd-puller Shatrughan Sinha.

Also Read | Bihar verdict: The issue of Bihari vs Bahari settled now, says Shatrughan Sinha

4. Ignorance

Even the social media savvy Modi, with his litany of senior advisors and top speechwriters, got a few things entirely wrong about Bihar. If only he cared to hear the people back in the many rallies he addressed. He would often ask if they now have electricity or roads, to which the audience will roar back with an emphatic 'Yes'. The fact is Nitish's USP has been his work on development, a plank that, at least in Bihar, Modi has no monopoly over. It could take credit for the bijli and paani, but decided to bundle its good work into the 25-years of jungle raj.  

Also Read | Badhai ho: When PM Modi called Bihar winner Nitish Kumar

5. Bhagwat Gita

BJP's mentor and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's questioning of the reservation system and calling for its revision just as the state, where caste decides votes, was political harakiri. Lalu et al went to town with the remark, successfully creating a monster out of the BJP set to steal their share in government and education. By the time, the BJP got around to disengage itself from the Bhagwat tangle, it was too late.

6. CM candidate?

In a break from tradition, PM Modi led the BJP campaign in an Assembly election, making the contest a referendum on his 16 months of rule. While the strategy may have worked earlier (read, closer to Modi's Lok Sabha victory), a series of controversies as well as a fledgling economy did not help in Bihar. A chief ministerial candidate may have worked. Sushil  Modi, who the people credit for development equally with Nitish Kumar, was not put up as a possible CM face. This other Modi shared the Vikas Purush image of Nitish Kumar.

7. Holy Cow

Though she made a late appearance in Bihar despite being a national talking point, the Holy Cow (and its forbidden meat) figured in a front-page advertisement the BJP published towards the end of the election. The ad, which implicitly defended the lynching of a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh a month ago, was widely panned as a divisive tactic. As commentator Surjit Bhalla said on India Today TV, cows only give milk, not votes.

8. Fringe Cringe

Although the BJP dismisses the antics of a powerful group within it spewing venom almost on a daily basis as its fringe element, the truth is this fringe has been more vocal and visible than the mainstream BJP in recent times. With some of that fringe even being part of Modi's Cabinet, questions were also raised on where the PM himself stands.

9. Silence

While that so-called fringe was all over, Modi's silence (or endorsement?) on a massive hate campaign against India's Muslims and liberals put a big question mark on his 'cache din' promises made in the run-up to the national elections. Did those good days mean a Hindu India was the question being asked in India and abroad. For a PM who tweeted Navjot Singh Sidhu's illness and not Dadri, there is indeed a lesson to have the ears more on the ground.

10. Allies & the Lies

The BJP has the largest vote share in this election that it lost so badly, one fourth of the total votes polled. But the RJD and JDU together got 35 per cent. Their alliance clicked. BJP's allies LJP, RLSP and HAM failed to click. Paswan kept his family in mind when distributing tickets. The allies snatched their share of seats but their success rate is dismal to say the least. Together, the three couldn't manage to touch the double-digit figure.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/10-lessons-that-modis-bjp-ought-to-learn-from-crushing-bihar-defeat/1/519310.html

-> Bingo! Right on the money. BJP overplayed Hindutva card

Modi and India will do fine. CONmen can't have it both ways. They can't impede passage of bills and blame Modi for not implementing his promises. They should quickly make Pappu the president of the party so that its extinction can be accelerated.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/irked-by-bjp-advertisement-ec-bans-ads-tomorrow-without-prior-clearance/

Weren't cow/calf symbol of Congress party at one point?