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A recent video by Mr. Yogendra Yadav on ThePrint about his assessment on travel through the Hindi Belt reveals that there are some serious issues with regards to unemployment, price rise and even corruption (local levels). Same sort of analysis was also seen in the recent CSDS-poll survey where 62% people said that getting employment has become more difficult, whereas 71% said that they are suffering from a price rise.
However, I wonder if these are truly relevant issues that people cast their vote upon. Being a 4th time voter in this general election, I can recall that unemployment and price rise have been issues plaguing people across low-income and middle-income levels for 2 decades. Every government in the past has tried to address it, but it still continues to remain unresolved. I believe these issues would still be around in 2029 and 2034, whether we have a BJP government or Congress government.
Voters today are smart enough to identify the difference between municipal, state or national elections. Hence, they perceive India’s growing status in international arena, strong defense of borders, and development of infrastructure as an achievement of this government. However, these same people might be suffering from higher prices, unemployment, and even understand the misuse of central agencies (ED, CBI etc.) by present dispensation.
These people despite being discontent, are more likely to vote for BJP again. The reason primarily being that an opposition INDIA alliance has not been able to capture the imagination of people that they can offer a better and more robust solution to their problems or issues.
Large number of people living in villages, small town and even metropolitan cities do not relate to the opposition narrative of declining democratic values or misuse of agencies. A low-income worker, middle-class person going for a job or upper middle-class businessmen are more concerned about the policies, tax cuts etc. that hamper their daily lives. A recent video of Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai on his private YouTube channel has correctly identified them as “Me first Generation”.
The Prime Minister ambitious target of 370 seats may look far-fetched, however even achieving 315 seats for BJP (40% vote share, which is 3% more than 2019) as predicted by latest CSDS poll in third term shows high level of TRUST that people have in this Modi-led BJP government. This TRUST is based on the fact that the Prime Minister is putting in the efforts and trying his best to find solutions to their problems.
Rather than banking on people’s anger to vote out the BJP government on issues like unemployment, price rise, and corruption, the opposition must focus on offering them a more inclusive, progressive and economically vibrant idea of India. To achieve this the opposition must build on the TRUST among people by providing a strong governance model in their ruled states. The Prime Minister Modi was elected in 2014 on back of his governance model in Gujarat, which captured the imagination of wide range of people across the country.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.