Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: The BJP must understand that it can no longer live in the warmth of low expectations in the wake of Narendra Modi's election and his groundbreaking achievement powered by performance. Voters have significantly higher expectations of the BJP than they do of other parties.
A senior Karnataka journalist had informed me about the deep corruption in the state's government eight or nine months prior. He has a pro-Hindutva stance and is not a supporter of the Congress or JD(S), therefore I took his criticism of the BJP seriously.
After a short while, when I brought up my complaints about the Karnataka administration with a very senior BJP official from the south, he stated he was aware of the situation and that the party needed to fix the harm.
The majority of BJP supporters from Karnataka that I have encountered subsequently, both regular people and people in public life, have categorically stated that the state party was corrupt and that its leadership was weak.
Their dissatisfaction is clearly reflected in Saturday's Karnataka verdict.
The BJP needs to understand that it can no longer live in the comfort of low expectations in the wake of Narendra Modi's election and his trailblazing triumph powered by performance. The BJP has significantly higher expectations from voters than from other parties.
The BJP appeared to have forgotten the following five things throughout its Karnataka campaign.
The party must first be tidy. It cannot assert that "Look, the Congress and JD(S) are far more corrupt." Under Basavaraj Bommai, corruption in the government became so commonplace that the Congress' "PayCM" campaign struck a chord with the general public.
Additionally, the Bommai administration did nothing to prosecute corrupt Congress officials like DK Shivakumar.
The Karnataka decision was more than just pro-Congress; it was meant to punish the BJP for breaking its fundamental agreement with the populace.
Second, the BJP is suffering even in minor states like Himachal Pradesh where there aren't any effective local leaders. A key distinction between the BJP and the Congress is destroyed when the top command is strong but the local leaders are weak.
Yogi Adityanath, Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan are capable of organising their parties now. But in several states, the BJP's chances have been harmed by an over-reliance on Modi and inadequate talent identification.
Third, it needs to be much clearer and more adamant about Hindutva. Its fundamental beliefs cannot be concealed during elections. The BJP needs to be more forthright with its civilisational ambitions, even locally, just as it is with its clearly stated development objectives.
Fourth, despite its claims to the contrary, the party has not been able to abandon its reliance on caste maths. The loss of the historically saffron Lingagayat vote even in strongholds like Kittur demonstrates that the BJP would eventually fall short if it doesn't take a chance and shatter safe old habits.
Fifth, the BJP needs a fresh wave of fresh faces and fresh ideas if it is to be the party with a difference. Losses suffered by Himachal and Karnataka should not be taken lightly. They demonstrate that the old guard in any party does not relinquish power lightly, but instead continues to play cunning games in the background to stay relevant and gain favour from family and friends, no matter what the cost.
Despite its enormous size, the Modi BJP is a lean, creative, merit-based, and risk-taking machine. The BJP will fall under its own weight if having too much power causes it to become mired in the mud and stagnate in its ideas.
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