Modi wins: First time anyone has won repeatedly in a democracy despite an openly and viciously Hostile mainstream media!
Narendra Modi has finally won the Gujarat elections for the third consecutive time. As of last reports, BJP is likely to win 116 seats and Congress 60. Modi won his own election in Maninagar by close to 87000 votes against Congress’ Shweat Bhatt.
Why is this victory significant?
Anti-Modi Media: Mainstream media in India – at national level and their subsidiaries at the local level – have been specifically vicious against Modi since 2002 and during that time as well. Those weren’t the first riots in India and certainly weren’t the last. Yet, Modi has been made into a poster boy for all evil that occurs in the country and been painted as a devil. Despite no court ever indicting him, he has been prosecuted by the mainstream media as if they were the only judge!
Despite intense and relentless provocation from the media and the opposition parties, Modi’s focus on his state and its development has been remarkable. He has not gotten fazed by the viciousness or put the interests of his state on the back burner as he fought through the whole pack of Congress-backed paid media wolves trying to hound Modi at every point. His single minded work for Gujaratis is remarkable in that respect.
Many try to suggest that Modi – as a successful administrator – is a “media creation”. Really? I have yet to come across a single mainstream media outlet that has given Modi the same respect that they have given to Laloo Prasads and Rajiv Gandhis. Like I said, Gujarat is not the ONLY state where riots happened, but it seems some riots are more “equal” than others. Some leaders get more love than others.
In the run up to this elections, the biting viciousness of the media could not be missed. It was all over.
Yet, despite a prejudiced and biased media, Modi has fought through to become a winner. This may probably be the first time in any democracy that a leader has won elections, not once but thrice, DESPITE the entire media being against him! Solely on the strength of the people.
I was looking at the tweets last night as the results were being announced and saw how the Gujaratis were clearly behind him. With mainstream media deserting the ordinary guy and making up their own stories, most Gujaratis and Modi himself have taken to the Social media. The media’s ways have changed. Youth in Gujarat no longer depends or even trusts the local or nation “Congress paid” media (as they put it).
This is a time for reflection for the media and the opposition parties. One, even if you buy the entire media, if you have screwed the people by plundering nation’s money, you can’t fool them. Two, the traditional media may no longer assert power on people as the Social media’s acceptance picks up.
Failure of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi
The full scale campaign by Congress, specially descending down of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on Gujarat and taking Modi head on, quite simply, backfired! And, no.. Rahul Gandhi is no Rajiv Gandhi; and Sonia is not Indira Gandhi. And people aren’t fools anymore.
Times have changed and information has improved. So, you cannot screw people and hope to still get their votes. Specially, when you are pitted against a guy who actually does work for his day’s salary for a change!
This election result will prove to be the beginning of the end of Sonia and Rahul.
Modi’s Elevation to National Stage
This election will mark Modi’s elevation to the national stage. If the media’s viciousness was all too obvious in this elections, it will be worse at the national level. The best way to fight this madness – as Modi’s team may have learnt – is to step up in the Social media. That is the best way to counter the paid touts in the mainstream media of India. So, if I were part of his team, I would have a detailed and concerted strategy on how to manage and disseminate information through the Social media outlets going forward.
REACTIONS FROM THE LOSERS
These are the reactions from the Congress party after their loss in Gujarat.
“The result is unfortunate for the people of Gujarat. The people can’t see the truth. The people of Gujarat deserve Modi. They are getting Modi,” Shweta Bhatt
If this is the evaluation she has of the people of her constituency, then is it any wonder that she lost? She was a “negative candidate” to begin with. Her “claim to fame” wasn’t what she had done for the people of Gujarat, but how her husband had been instrumental in running a personal campaign backed by Congress against Modi. Now, when the people have spoken in a democracy and basically given her a black eye, she goes around maligning the people of Gujarat itself?
“This Gujarat election proves that it’s not open skies for Narendra Modi.” Salman Khurshid
Only this dude knows what he means. After being brought out as a corrupt guy making money in the name of disabled kids, he has the chutzpah to go around talking about Modi. For one thing, Modi has been only in Gujarat and despite Congress’ best efforts – strategic and media management – and with the entire effort of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, it has lost terribly.
“Congress is the winner. Congress has won according to the last results I saw the Himachal election. And in Gujarat too, in my view, the Congress is the winner. Congress has gained several seats and BJP is being contained the last numbers that I saw below 117. If the BJP does not cross 117 and the Congress has improved its tally, the Congress is the clear winner in Gujarat too,” P. Chidambaram
Even though Congress loses badly, Chidambaram, in his infinite wisdom declares that Congress is a winner. It seeems that Chidambaram has come out with his own rules of democracy this time around!
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