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Editor’s Note

Assembly election results,

a good news for democracy!

FOR A PARTY that had got used to election, it is a clear message that there is something
losing, seemed aloof, lost in the amiss. The results are a pointer that resentment has
political wilderness, cadres built amongst the very sections that voted for the BJP
demoralized and its president in 2014- the farmers, traders, youth, who are unhappy
caricatured, there is a lot to cheer with the end result of the of demonetization, imple-
about in the aftermath of the mentation of GST and absence of jobs. Personal attacks
Assembly election results. In the and attempts to discredit members of entire Gandhi
three Hindi-speaking States, where family too did not work for the BJP. However, Prime
it was locked in a direct contest with the Minister, Narendra Modi’s popularity is still intact. Modi,
ruling BJP, the Congress has performed exceedingly symbolised hope and promise in 2014 and his track
well. In Chhattisgarh, the party probably exceeded even record shows he cannot be underestimated even in
its own expectations, winning more than two-thirds 2019. General elections are still four months away and
majority. In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it was a four months is a pretty long time in politics.
nail biting thriller, but the Congress did enough to form The semifinal is over and there are lessons to be learnt.
governments in all these States. The results of these Never write the obituary of a party or a leader and that
three states undoubtedly signal the end of BJP’s elector- too of a party that is 133 years old, and a leader who
al invincibility. These have raised hopes of revival of the belongs to a family which has produced three prime
grand old party as the country gears up for the general ministers. Rahul Gandhi’s leadership has infused life
election in 2019. into the Congress and he has proved that he is capa-
If the results are interpreted as pointers to the 2019 ble of making the BJP sweat even in its fortress. Yet
election, then the Congress is still short of where it the Congress must also understand that a win in state
would like to be. But the results are enough to infuse assemblies is no way a guarantee of a win in 2019. It is
the party leadership and its workers with the confi- still well and truly an open contest. In the end, irrespec-
dence that it is on the comeback trail. However, loss- tive of who won in these state assemblies, it is a good
es in Telangana and Mizoram have taken some fuzz news for the democracy.
out of the euphoria generated by the wins. The
results of five states mark the end of the unipolar
politics.
For the BJP, the results are an opportunity
to introspect. When so many of your ministers lose an (CHARANJIT AHUJA)

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