MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Ever since the calendar turned to the year 2023, the political atmosphere gradually became ‘charged’ in Rajasthan as at the end of the year, the assembly polls were scheduled. Having lost to Congress in 2018, the BJP had been waiting for five years to come back to power in the desert state. But while almost all the renowned leaders of BJP and other parties were weaving dreams to come back to power, one man had other plans in his mind!

Thus, when the time came, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in the poll-bound state and made it clear that it would not be any local leader, but rather the party’s symbol-Lotusthat would be its face in not just Rajasthan but in all three poll-bound states of the Hindi heartland. This was the defining moment of the 2023 election campaign that revealed how Modi was aggressively seeking and planning to bring the Saffron Party back at the helm. Thus began Modi’s ‘Mission Raj’!

In a way, it was the supreme commander’s hint to the party cadres that the election would be fought on his face, his image, his policies, his decisions and his deliveries. Having set his eyes on winning Rajasthan, Modi made it his mission to ensure that the power slips out of Congress’ hands into BJP’s and thus, one after the other he carried out sixteen rallies and road shows in the desert state, garnering public support in favour of the BJP. He directed senior leaders to carry out ‘guerrilla campaigning’ in Rajasthan, wherein leaders like Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda and others held rallies in various parts of the state which swayed the public mood to their favour. But this was not all, Modi devised the strategy to corner Congress on not just its manifesto but also on its actions over the past five years and thus he and other party leaders highlighted the ‘Red Diary’ issue along with the divisions within Congress, the law and order situation in the state amongst other major issues. While Congress tried to pitch the election as Gehlot versus Modi, BJP focused on core issues while ensuring that Modi’s guarantees resonate more with the public than that of Congress. Lo, and behold, December 3 proved that everyone else’s ideas and strategies aside, the ‘one-man show’ Narendra Modi was accepted, with open arms, by the people of the state. It was at this juncture when it was well established that even after being in power in New Delhi for nine years, Modi was still the public’s favourite, did the ‘man of the moment’ pulled another trick out of his hat and got installed a young leader, who worked through the ranks right from grassroots, and made him the Chief Minister!

This not only reset the traditionally set norms but also set a new precedent that no one is above the party’s interests and that the central leadership is THE ONE to ‘call the shots’ in the party. Well, all in all, Modi came, he saw and he conquered and ensured that the message that the party’s interests are paramount, and go beyond the political realm of the state. Therefore, it is Mission Accomplished for Modi!