The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has registered a record- breaking and historic win in the 2022 Gujarat elections. The ruling party is all set to get 156 of 182 Assembly seats, which is more than the highest-ever mark of 127 seats. It has also breached the 50% vote share mark. The saffron surge has been witnessed in various regions of Gujarat, including several tribal areas, which have been under Congress’ dominance. This is the seventh consecutive time the BJP has won the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One of the significant messages that the Gujarat poll outcome has sent out is that the saffron party’s landslide victory for the seventh straight time here could be possible just because of PM Modi’s dominance and charisma. The “Brand Modi” has, in fact, paved the way for the BJP retaining power in Gujarat, virtually wiping out the opponents like Congress and AAP.
All eyes were on whether the BJP would be able to better Modi’s record of 127 seats, which was in 2002, or Madhav Sinh Solanki-led Congress’s record of 149 seats of 1985. So, the BJP finally broke the record, thanks to Brand Modi. The BJP’s thumping win has reaffirmed the belief that PM Modi is synonymous with Gujarat. He continues to have a strong and firm hold over the hearts and minds of Gujaratis. It is by virtue of people’s love for him that Modi won three Assembly elections on the trot and ruled Gujarat for more than 12 years before moving to Delhi in 2014. Even after coming to Delhi to lead India as Prime Minister, Narendra Modi continued to focus on Gujarat, giving his suggestions and advice to local leadership from time to time. He led the campaign for the Gujarat state assembly elections in November-December, addressing more than 30 campaign meetings during the two-phased polls, during which he invoked Gujarat “asmita” (pride). The BJP in Gujarat was banking solely on PM Modi’s charisma and popular image. Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel told the voters that every single vote for the BJP will be a vote for PM Modi. In fact, the BJP leadership in Gujarat was aware that it is the people’s trust in PM Modi that could bring the party a grand electoral success. Analysts are right in saying that the biggest factor favouring the saffron party in the elections was PM Modi’s appeal among the voters. PM Modi’s one-liner that “we have made this Gujarat” went down very well with the voters, who showed overwhelming support for the BJP on the day of polling. Similarly, the line “every single vote for lotus will be a vote for Modi” made a difference.
What goes beyond saying is that the Gujarati voters see in Narendra Modi the image of a Hindu nationalist too. With Modi being the face of the BJP’s election campaign in Gujarat, the ruling party scored over its rivals in the state. The results also highlight the fact that Modi continues to be a leader who defies the anti-incumbency theory. The Lok Sabha elections of 2019 cement this perception as PM Modi led the party to victory by more seats than it won in the 2014 parliamentary polls. There was no impact of anti-incumbency then also. “Brand Modi” remained intact despite the BJP being also-ran in the MCD and Himachal Pradesh elections. The BJP vote share in the MCD polls has increased by three per cent, even though it lost the polls. However, the party which ruled MCD for 15 years could not be reduced to a number less than a century by the main rival AAP. Similarly in Himachal Pradesh, the BJP’s vote share is just one percent less than Congress’s. Analysts are again right in concluding that the BJP saw some setbacks in MCD and Himachal polls due to local issues and party’s rebels who may have harmed its poll prospects. Back in Gujarat, the BJP registered three records in the state simultaneously. It won maximum seats, maximum vote share and largest lead in state polls. All this, according to political observers, goes to the credit of Brand Modi.