14

Feb

Maha Kumbh And BJP’s Poll Prospects

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A person with white hair and glasses AI-generated content may be incorrect.Only the devout who have taken a dip in the holy waters of Sangam or are waiting to do so know what impact the Maha Kumbh will have on their chances to attain moksha(salvation), but the Maha Kumbha’s impact on the political scenario of the country is quite obvious. The politics in our country after the Maha Kumbh, especially about the ruling BJP, will not be the same as it was before the event started with all its fanfare last month.

The critical importance of the Maha Kumbh is that the BJP has sought to replace it with the   Hindutva as its most potential weapon in elections. The reason is the weakening appeal of the Hindutva card, something which became obvious after the Lok Sabha elections last year.  No doubt, the party has retained power in Haryana and Maharashtra and won the Delhi elections last week. But it is quite conscious of its weakening hold on the voters and the slow but steady rise of the Congress as a potential threat.

The BJP’s election strategy has been an emotional appeal to the masses backed by an effective communication blitz. With a skilful combination of the two, the party could build its narrative around non-substantive issues. But now the Opposition led by a rejuvenated Congress has succeeded in shifting the political discourse on substantive issues like unemployment, price rise, corruption, growing economic disparities and the vast dissatisfaction in many segments of society like farmers, students and workers. Moreover, the disadvantaged sections of society like Dalits, Adivasis and the members of the minority communities are increasingly becoming conscious of the fact that the process of democratisation of our elitist society, which started after the Independence, has now been put in the back gear. The Opposition campaign for respect of the Constitution and Baba Sahab Dr Ambedkar is making a deep impression in the minds of voters. The demand for a caste-based census has threatened the backward caste base of the BJP.

 

Column at a Glance
The Maha Kumbh, a significant religious event, is poised to impact India's political landscape, particularly for the ruling BJP. As the party seeks to leverage Hindutva for electoral gains, its appeal appears to be waning, especially in light of the Congress's resurgence and shifting voter concerns over issues like unemployment and corruption. The BJP's strategy to use the Maha Kumbh as a unifying symbol of Hindu culture faced challenges, including chaos and a deadly stampede that tarnished its image.
Friday Fuss
By Pradeep Mathur
Additionally, instances of Muslim residents aiding distressed pilgrims highlighted communal harmony, potentially undermining the BJP's divisive narratives. The event's VIP treatment contrasted sharply with the struggles of ordinary visitors, reinforcing perceptions that the BJP favours the wealthy. While the Maha Kumbh attracts millions, its influence on future elections remains uncertain, as historical precedents suggest that such events have not significantly boosted the BJP's electoral prospects.

 

The BJP strategists, therefore, needed a new focal point and picked up the Maha Kumbh with its tradition and history as a new one. It has its roots in Sanatan Hindu culture and appeals to the majority community sans caste divisions. There were astrologers to proclaim as a lifetime opportunity emerging after 144 years and a Hindu sage-cum-chief minister and his government to give it a massive build-up with the help of obliging media. Backed up by statements of top BJP leaders, the Maha Kumbh looked like the biggest-ever mass event in history. It was supposed to be a new match winner.

The strategy was good, but things have not moved in the desired direction. The rhetoric has been good, but the chaos, long traffic jams, instances of fires, the stampede and public harassment in general damaged the new icon. Attempts to project it as a model of BJP’s governance, efficient administration and skilful management also did not succeed. The deadly stampede of January 29 not only caused loss of lives but also projected the BJP as a group of insensitive leaders and its government hiding the real death toll and thus lacking transparency.

The stampede may not have restricted the flow of pilgrims to the besieged city of Allahabad (now Prayagraj), but it deprived the BJP leadership of the plank to belittle the earlier  Kumbhas during the non-BJP regimes and run down the Congress and their favourite target, Jawaharlal Nehru for the 1954  Kumbh stampede.

The January 29 stampede has created another problem for the BJP leaders. The harassed visitors got shelter in Muslim homes and mosques whose doors were opened to accommodate the pilgrims.  Muslim residents of Prayagraj provided food and first aid to harassed Hindu pilgrims, and these instances caught media attention, which reported this in glowing terms. The electoral dividend the BJP gets from the Hate Minority Campaign will be considerably less now. With many fake sadhus and riffraff elements doing a lot of dirty things, the popular image of the majority Hindu community has hardly made a gain.

Last but not least, the Maha Kumbh has once again shown that the BJP talks of the poor but serves the rich. The red-carpet treatment rolled out for the VIPs, which created a lot of problems in the movement of the average visitor, clearly demonstrated this.

Whatever way we look at it, there is no doubt that the 2025 Maha Kumbh is on the mind of the majority community. Though the government figure of 40 crore people is hyperbolic, nearly 10 crores could have visited Prayagraj by the time the 45-day event concludes later this month. Many more wished to be there but could not go for some reason or the other.

What impact this mega event leaves on the minds of voters is difficult to say. But one thing can be said with a degree of certainty that all those attracted by the Maha Kumbh are not BJP camp followers. Since 1954, the Kumbh has been attracting huge crowds, but it did not help the poll prospects of the saffron brigade of Jana Sangh-BJP. It is highly uncertain that the 2025 Maha Kumbh will do so despite the best efforts of the BJP leadership and the earnest wishes of the Modi-Yogi combine.

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