The BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, way past the 272-majority mark, on its own.
Expecting to better the margin in 2024, the party set a '400 paar' target for the NDA bloc and 370+ itself.
Here are 5 reasons why the party's poll performance weakened: According to assessments by BJP leaders, the party could not properly balance the caste equations that was largely responsible for its sub par show in Uttar Pradesh.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also had no support this time, failing to cut votes of the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance.
Most Dalit votes also went to the INDIA bloc, which won 43 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP won 303 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, way past the 272-majority mark, on its own. Expecting to better the margin in 2024, the party set a '400 paar' target for the NDA bloc and 370+ itself.
However, the BJP was up for a rude shock on June 4 as it managed to win 240 seats, 32 behind the majority mark. The party, though, would still remain in power thanks to its NDA allies, who pushed the coalition tally to 292.
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The BJP suffered a setback in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Haryana, despite being in power in the Legislative Assembly in all these states.
Even though the BJP-led NDA is coming back for another term, the weaker election performance, especially in strongholds like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, have left people wondering what went wrong for the BJP.
Here are 5 reasons why the party's poll performance weakened: According to assessments by BJP leaders, the party could not properly balance the caste equations that was largely responsible for its sub par show in Uttar Pradesh. Not only did the non-Yadav OBC vote bank left the BJP's side, the non-Jatav Dalit voters also shifted support to the INDIA bloc. Among the non-Yadav OBCs, the Khatik and Kurmi votes largely shifted to the Opposition.
The Opposition's "Constitution will be changed" charge against the BJP also paved the way for support to be divided and the party could not counter it properly. In most poll campaigns for Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi could be seen holding a Constitution booklet, alleging the BJP would make changes to the Constitution if it comes to power. Karnataka BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde had also claimed that the Constitution could be amended to undo the "anti-Hindu" changes, which is why the BJP needed a majority in Parliament.
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also had no support this time, failing to cut votes of the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance. Most Dalit votes also went to the INDIA bloc, which won 43 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP-led NDA could manage 36 seats.
The lack of coordination between the government and the party members is being cited as the major reason for the inadequate performance. Party workers are angry with their neglect in the government, especially in Maharashtra. Fielding incumbent MPs as candidates in most seats also proved to be a wrong decision. Besides, the BJP welcoming turncoats into the party and fielding them as candidates was also not well-received.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was indifferent to the BJP's poll campaign this time and was upset with party president JP Nadda's remark during the polls. In an interview with the Indian Express, JP Nadda called the RSS an "ideological front" and that the BJP "ran itself".
Published By: Poorva Joshi Published On: Jun 5, 2024
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