Party Nominees Refusing To Contest: Major Perception Threat For BJP

Hype created by the urban middle class “andhabhakts” that Narendra Modi is invincible and he is the redeemer has few takers even within the rank and file of the BJP. Barely a month back, Modi came up with the slogan “Teesri baar Modi sarkar, abki baar 400 paar”, passing it off as the creation of the common people of the country, the voters.

Modi has a penchant of relating himself with the people and he also claims to imbibe their words and aspirations. But indeed, as a sad commentary, his own partymen are now refusing to borrow his words, least the common voters. Modi has been insisting on this new catchphrase to captivate the imagination of people, but it does not appear to have enticed them. This is manifest in the refusal of candidates selected by him to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha election.

Modi, through this slogan, has been striving to project himself as the most invincible leader, ready and deserving of a third term. He wants to convince the contestants of their sureshot victory. But it appears that the party nominees are not willing to take his assurances seriously. Had it not been the case, there was no reason for candidates to be refusing the tickets. What has really come as a shock is that the maximum number of refusals have been reported from Gujarat, the citadel of saffron ecosystem and home state of the duo, Modi and Amit Shah, the party faces. Of the five, at least two are sitting MPs.

Ranjanben Bhatt, the BJP MP from Vadodara, declined to contest despite being offered the ticket for the third time. She made her decision public through social media posts. Bhikaji Thakor, BJP candidate from Sabarkantha, also expressed his unwillingness to contest the elections. These candidates were assured of a sure victory with the double engine government in place. But even then, the nominees are not sure.

The situation is quite volatile in Rajasthan, Haryana and even in Uttar Pradesh. Least to speak of the hostility that grips the party in Karnataka. Disquiet has been brewing in Karnataka’s BJP ever since son of the B S Yediyurappa became the state chief of the party. Public accusations were hurled that Modi and Shah have been patronising and promoting dynastic rule in the state. Even then, some of the local leaders had threatened to desert the party.

The situation has really turned volatile after the party released its second list of candidates for 20 out of 28 seats and the bubble burst. Former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa, who was seeking a ticket for his son KE Kantesh, said, he is determined to contest as an Independent against the BJP. He accused BS Yediyurappa of cheating him. Ananth Kumar Hegde, known for his divisive comments, has been dropped from the Uttara Kannada seat that he represents.

Union Minister General V.K. Singh (retd) on Sunday announced that he would not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The former army chief has been a two-time MP from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. He made this announcement in a post on X, stating: “I have dedicated my entire life to the service of this nation as a soldier. For the last 10 years, I have worked tirelessly to fulfill the dream of making Ghaziabad a world-class city. In this journey, I am grateful for the trust and love that I have received from the people of the country and Ghaziabad as well as from the members of the BJP. This emotional bond is priceless for me. With these feelings, I have made a difficult, but thoughtful decision.”

Per sources, at least three BJP nominees from UP are reluctant to contest. All of them are from upper caste Brahmin and Thakur backgrounds. One of them is a sitting MP. They are not sure that Modi magic will work this time. With the changing mood of the voters and dalit, OBCs and EBCs along with Muslims shifting their loyalty to the INDIA bloc, especially to the Congress, they are convinced that the BJP will not be able to retain 62 seats it had won in 2019 in the wake of nationalist euphoria created by Pulwama massacre.

The Hindu voters from the Hindi heartland are not too optimistic about Modi even gaining halfway mark. They point out that the ecstasy of Ram Temple has vanished. Rahul’s thrust on caste-census and betrayal of the OBCs and EBCs by the upper caste-controlled BJP has managed to have its impact on the poor and proletariat.

In Bengal, a significant number of state-level BJP leaders have deserted the party and joined the TMC. Mukut Mani Adhikari, a BJP MLA from the Matua bastion in West Bengal’s Nadia district, who represents the Ranaghat Dakshin constituency, has switched over to TMC. Santanu Thakur, the BJP MP representing Matua, is under pressure not to contest from his castemen, who nurse the view that BJP has betrayed them in the matter of nationality.

A Congress leader joining BJP certainly is not a consequential issue. With the party out of power and no immediate possibility of its coming to power, a Congress person could certainly prefer to desert the party. But that is not the case with BJP. With the tallest leader Modi leading it with the call to come back to power for the third consecutive term, there is no reason for the leaders to deny the ticket. But they are doing it. Obviously, it sends an ominous message.

The only plausible reason could be the seasoned politicians have come to realise that the ground is slipping and Modi was standing on a sticky wicket. His claim for the third win is nothing more than sound of an empty pot. He is desperate to prove his impeccability and relevance. This refusal has been taking place at a time when the INDIA bloc has not projected its alternative to Modi. This strategic move of INDIA bloc has gone well with the BJP men. They have started perceiving Rahul as the PM face for INDIA bloc.

In fact, the BJP leaders have also started sharing the charge of the INDIA leaders that Modi has turned vindictive, which is why he has been harassing and humiliating the INDIA leaders. They are scared of the spectre where Modi will turn autocratic for even the BJP and subvert the saffron entire system. The INDIA sources are optimist that at their March 31 rally in Delhi, organised to protest against arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, may witness some BJP leaders sharing the podium.

Nevertheless, some senior Congress leaders feel that the party should emphasise more on the caste census than any other issue. It has widened the caste chasm inside the BJP and this is the primary reason for some leaders unwilling to contest the election. The dalits and OBCs who had rallied behind the BJP in earlier assembly elections are now in the mood to rally behind the Congress in Lok Sabha election. This realisation is also the reason for the Congress leadership making efforts to vet any dissidence over Rahul’s focus on a caste census, a departure from the party’s traditional politics that has dismayed some upper-caste party veterans.

While defending the demand for a caste census, the party president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday underlined that the wealth of billionaires rose 280 per cent between 2014 and 2022, ten times the growth in the average national income. He said: “Around 34 per cent families earn less than the minimum wage of Rs 375 a day. The Congress has therefore given a broad guarantee for social, economic and caste census under ‘Hissedari Nyay’.”

Some upper caste Congress leaders however feel that Rahul’s thrust on a caste census is not in tune with the party’s centrist politics. In the past the party emphasised “najat par parna pat paer, mohar lagao hath par” (not on caste, stamp on hand). But these leaders say that the situation is changing fast and the party ought to change its stand and approach. In fact, this change in the political stance of the Congress had seriously unnerved the BJP leaders. They nurse the feeling that they will have to rely on their own image and resources for winning the election. (IPA Service)