The opposition seems to be in a tailspin with no strategy and a sham of a unity. On the other hand, BJP seems to have scored all the boxes right and is on the way to be in the government of 2024 as well. What makes it so compelling? Its social reengineering is impeccable and its development programs are spot on. Its media cell works overtime and its outreach through a multitude of organisations in a Blockchain like network is the most efficient. Though humans can hear between 20 and 20,000 Hz., BJP’s ears seem to hear outside the range too.
A recent happening bear this out. While everyone including the MVA government was lulled into a sense of false stability, BJP was active, and up and running. COVID 19 admittedly put the brakes on any work for progress, but then the leader should have been doubly vigilant when there seemed a lull in proceedings. That did not happen and the BJP saw a crack in the precariously positioned government’s door for it to widen so much, that an entire elephant could get in.
For a beginning, the ‘Sena’ leader should have known that his party was ideologically not very different from the BJP and its aligning with political opposites was always going to be a tenuous and fragile exercise. Thus, the fault lines were drawn even before an ‘Agadhi’ government could be formed. In any government, not everyone can be accommodated for a ministerial berth, ideology or no ideology, which means that there will always be some who will turn rouge at the first opportunity.
That the ‘Sena’ as a party could not see what was coming was unfortunate. Several of the ‘Sena’ satraps simply went away to form another group. The trump they held was an alignment to ‘Hindutva’ and a steadfast refusal to merge with BJP. After that, they just went from strength to strength albeit with a little help and push from the main opposition. It would have suited BJP had they just merged with them. However, such a move would have kept the broth for the original ‘Sena’ brewing. Shrewd as they were, the BJP leaders wanted the ‘Sena’ cut to size and achieved it with aplomb. They aligned with the breakaway group on a Hindutva plank which squeezed out the little space left with the original ‘Sena’. The public perception however, was still with the ‘Sena’, which was not going to be good in the long run from a BJP perspective. That was addressed by a master stroke of foisting a ‘Sena’ leader as the CM. Now the original ‘Sena’ was just left to count its chicken.
That the ‘Sena’ too was bereft of ideas in this onslaught is as much a credit to the strategy and foresight of BJP, as it is to the bankruptcy of ideas within the ‘Sena’. Whereas it should have promptly junked the baggage they carried and mustered the people perception in their favour, they just sat back and watched the drama unfold with a few inane statements that did no good to their cause. They promptly forgot that, all was fair in ‘Love and War’ and especially in politics.
The art of politics rests on three important legs. The science of government, the science of influencing governmental policy and the science of winning and holding control over a government. In good old days, politics was inextricably entwined in money and muscle power. Though it still is the case, science and technology have invaded so much that simple age-old wisdom does not work.
If a politician from past centuries, be it 200 or 2000 years ago, were to time travel to this decade, he/she would be pleased to find politics and social unrest, still call the shots, for social groups to survive. Someone always wants to be in charge, and someone is always unhappy with the way things are. Leaders have always used private or public communication tools and propaganda to gain or maintain power, and those who oppose them, have always used the same to overcome them.
Today strategies are built with IT tools like big data, to gather information about individuals, and determine the best approach to get votes. What differentiates the BJP from others today is the way they use the instant communication and social media.
They understand which sector of the society they need to focus so they reach the right voters. Analytics helps in grouping the data regarding the voting pattern, which is then analysed to decide the process of campaigning. They use the census data most effectively, which helps the party to decide the type of campaigns for different sectors. Email Marketing and Blogging is also used, since they almost reside on the social media sites for a connect with the people. Campaigning requires lots of resources and finance which needs to be spent efficiently. Even the response from the public is recorded to decide “target citizens”. The media too is used innovatively in branding. Further, use of mobile analytics to make the system look transparent is most effective. Strategy and rendering necessary, is left to the technology and IT teams. What then remains? The leader and the leader is currently just unstoppable, invincible and unassailable. He drives the campaign from the front. He raises the aspirational values of the youth and delivers them with honesty. He assures, rather than promises. He is charismatic and oversees the change. He uses his communication skills, persuasiveness, and charm to influence the people. His firm belief in the values enshrined in Hinduism drive him to set and meet goals. He transforms different visions into reality. He is the lone differentiator.
The party in turn has institutionalised what he always said. “Social media is reducing social barriers. It connects people on the strength of human values, not identities” The leader and the Party is combining so well that their victories seem mere formality. What has the opposition got that can challenge the odds for them?
Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable, and the art of the next best” said, Otto von Bismarck, which means, “It’s not about what’s right or what’s best. It’s about what you can actually get done”. It’s associated with realpolitik. In a way, realpolitik, dramatics and technology rule today.