The military’s input to national security may be swayed by ideological winds if it loses its apolitical grounding. The government and military must thus maintain the status quo on civil–military relations.
The most significant development of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Punjab was the victory of the Congress, making the state an outlier in almost all of India, except for Kerala. Neither the Bharatiya Janata Party’s narrative of national security nor its strong leader could find much traction in the state. The significant loss of the core social constituency’s (read the Sikhs) support of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the decline or almost decimation of the Aam Aadmi Party were important developments of this election.
The 2019 elections in Odisha present a unique case where Narendra Modi becomes the most acceptable face as Prime Minister, but the Biju Janata Dal gets an upper hand in vote shares and seats. While the Bharatiya Janata Party has substantially gained in terms of vote share, the BJD has retained its popularity. The decline of Congress and the emergence of a women-centric political discourse in Odisha must be seen in this context.
The success of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Jharkhand in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was enabled by the popularity of Narendra Modi as the prime ministerial candidate, people’s perception of the BJP being the saviour of the nation, and a sense of satisfaction with the performance of its government at the centre. However, most of these factors will not be able to mobilise the voters in favour of the party in the forthcoming assembly elections.
The first Lok Sabha election results after the formal creation of Telangana and its wider implications for both state and national politics are assessed. Coming as it did, within a few months of the state assembly polls, the electorate in the state made a clear distinction between the earlier state election verdict and the present verdict in the national election. What factors contributed to this change and what are the implications for the politics in the state?
The National Democratic Alliance registered its best ever performance in Bihar in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. Not only did it win all but one seat, but it won mostly with huge margins. Two reasons stand out for the performance of the NDA: its reconstitution to include Janata Dal (United) and the high level of trust in the leadership of Narendra Modi. With assembly elections in the next year, it remains to be seen if and how the opposition alliance will be able to recuperate from its defeat.
The electoral implications of the 2019 Lok Sabha election results in West Bengal are traced, and whether it heralds a movement from “poribarton” to “real poriborton,” is analysed. The National Election Study 2019 data is used to explain the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state and the eclipse of the Congress as well as the Left Front.
This article highlights the incongruity involved in the Prime Minister of a nation proclaiming himself to be a “chowkidar.” But who will watch the watchmen?
