Indian democracy is robust. The balance is good for the polity
The Jharkhand election, in which a coalition of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has succeeded in dislodging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, is a reflection of a broader pattern in national politics. For one, it shows, yet again, that the BJP is vulnerable at the state level — and Narendra Modi’s popularity at the national level is often not enough to help the party when issues are more local. This is a reflection of the weaknesses of the BJP’s chief ministers. It was visible in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in 2018; and in Haryana (where the party formed the government but did not have a majority on its own) and Maharashtra in 2019. Two, it shows that the BJP’s efforts to turn every election into a national battle on issues of nationalism, and introduce an element of polarisation, does not quite work. And three, it indicates that the rift between the BJP and its allies — first the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra post-polls, and now, the All Jharkhand Students Union in Jharkhand — is hurting the party. The BJP’s very dominance has created apprehensions among its smaller allies, and keeping the junior partners on board will be important to sustain its success.
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