VKpedia

I’m surprised that the headline on CNN-IBN’s website reads “Cong., BJP win and lose, no verdict for 2009“. Is IBN carrying a brief for the BJP?

One could argue that the Congress won Mizoram, Delhi and Rajasthan, while the BJP held on to Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. But that doesn’t give the whole picture.

Firstly, the BJP lost Rajasthan. And it lost big. There was a negative swing of 42 seats, a fifth of the seats in the Rajasthan State Assembly. The BJP did managed to stay in power in Madhya Pradesh, but it dropped 30 seats.

The BJP wasn’t able to topple Shiela Dixit in Delhi, despite the fact that her government has been in power for 10 years – not many Chief Ministers have been able to stave off that much anti-incumbency.

This debacle for the BJP comes soon after a national crisis in which the country’s attention has been focused on the Congress Government alleged laxity in dealing with the Mumbai terror attack of 11/26. This was a major loss of face for the Congress; it had to ship out the Union Home Minister as well as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and his deputy. The news media, acting like kids, had placed the blame at the Government’s door. Yet the BJP was unable to capitalize on this.

I’m wondering if the BJP is at all ready to face the coming 2009 general elections. Let’s face it. They cannot win in Kerala and West Bengal. In Tamil Nadu, no party wants to align with them. Chandrababu Naidu might not go with them in Andhra Pradesh. Add to this the debacle in Delhi and Rajasthan. And they are not the force they once were in Uttar Pradesh. Where will they get the numbers from then?