AHMEDABAD/NEW DELHI: In his poll rallies across Gujarat, PM Narendra Modi had radiated triumphal verve and proclaimed confidence in ‘pro-incumbency’. On Thursday, a colossal majority of Gujarat’s voters stamped their approval on his exhortations. The sheer scale of BJP’s victory – winning 156 seats to break Congress’ 37-year-old record in the state – testifies to Modi’s supremacy and his election winning acumen.
“When elections approach, anti-incumbency is…often discussed by political experts and critics who assume that people will vote against the incumbent government,” Modi had said in one of his rallies in Surendranagar on November 21. “But Gujarat has proved them wrong by establishing a culture of pro-incumbency as it has repeatedly chosen BJP. ”
BJP’s unprecedented victory margin in Gujarat despite running the state for nearly three decades now also signals the consolidation of Modi’s popularity in his home state, with no sign of voter fatigue. He has been central to Gujarat’s politics since he became chief minister in 2002, soon after the state had suffered the worst earthquake in its history.
The party still extols Modi’s achievements to substantiate its narrative of taking a “crisis as an opportunity”. At meetings and rallies, BJP campaigners and candidates recalled his long innings, first as the author of the ‘Gujarat model’ of development,and then his firm, decisive national leadership that has won laurels for the country.
“If Modi plans a statue (Statue of Unity), it has to be the tallest in the world, the same goes for the Gujarat stadium with the maximum seating capacity in the world,and now there’s the pledge to develop infrastructure to host the 2036 Olympics,” a senior BJP functionary said, explaining how Modi has cultivated a sense of “bharosa (trust)” among the people by delivering what he has pledged over the years. The state recently hosted the National Games thanks to the world-class sports complex developed in Ahmedabad.
After fulfilling promises like the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and abrogation of Article 370, Modi is seen as the most decisive and visible figure in Gujarat. Millions have benefited from his initiative to end the state’s water crisis, especially in Saurashtra, by diverting the Narmada’s surplus water. Every Gujarat household now gets piped water. Also, the state’s school dropout rate, which was 37. 2% when he took over as CM in 2002, has improved to 3. 4%.
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Modi’s primacy in BJP’s campaign this time was evident from the ubiquitous hoardings that exhibited Gujarat’s pride with the ‘Double Engine Sarkar’ legend. Although the party has used the slogan in other state polls, Gujarat voters warmed to Modi’s appeal that “Bhupendra’s record should be better than Narendra’s”. In a throwback to earlier polls, BJP campaigners also spread the message that the people should keep Modi in mind when voting, not their local candidate.
The message was clear: two sons of the soil running Gujarat and the Centre would benefit the people.
Modi had started strategising for the 2022 election in 2020 by appointing his confidant C R Patil as the Gujarat BJP president. Then came the bold decision to replace the entire Vijay Rupani government and give the state’s reins to Bhupendra Patel, a mild-mannered builder turned-politician, barely a year before the polls. Patel hails from the powerful Patidar caste. The calculated gamble of completely overhauling the state cabinet and later denying tickets to a large number of party veterans would have obliterated any trace of anti-incumbency, if it existed at all.
Leveraging this revamp and ensuring an upper hand in ticket distribution, Modi embarked on a series of trips to Gujarat, visiting the state on at least 20 occasions before the polls were announced. He dedicated a plethora of big ticket projects — such as WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, and the Astol project to lift water for the parched villages in hilly Valsad — to the people of Gujarat.
After the poll announcement on November 3, Modi addressed 31 rallies, covering almost all the 182 assembly segments, and ended the campaign with a 50km roadshow in Ahmedabad.
Over the decades, Modi has become like family, a way of life, to almost every Gujarati household. So, in an election that was largely devoid of any issue, he managed to tug at voters’ heartstrings with the emotive slogan: “Aa Gujarat Mein Banavyu Chhe (we have made this Gujarat)”.
Although Modi was clearly going to be the architect of BJP’s win, the Bhupendra Patel government had to placate several agitating groups in the run-up to the elections to ensure a good result. These included students aspiring for non-secretariat clerk jobs, Lok Rakshak Dal jawans seeking grade pay and reservation, and forest department employees, doctors and health workers pressing for various demands. The government also pacified the maldharis (cattle rearers) by withdrawing the stray animal control Bill.
