India elections: What Uttar Pradesh win means for BJP?

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spectacular victory in Uttar Pradesh (UP), in which it bagged 312 legislative assembly seats out of 403, has rendered its opponents speechless, consolidating the firm partnership of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

1. The BJP victory, particularly in UP and Uttarakhand, transforms India’s political landscape. Political commentators believe the victory means the remaining two years of the current government will see bolder initiatives with PM Modi “dictating terms” from a higher and stronger pedestal.

2. Experts believe the Modi-led government at the Centre is likely to go ahead with its plans to roll out several ‘adventurous’ schemes and policies which it could not have done earlier. For instance, the next focus of PM may be on the implementation of ‘benami’ (illegal) property law.

3. Modi may now choose to amend several laws such as the contract labour law and factories law, allowing freer mobility of labour. He may push for acceleration of governance reforms, particularly in the use of Unique Identification (UID) ‘Aadhaar’ number. The government is also likely to frame Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2016.

4. The BJP’s Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) membership from UP is also likely to soar. At present, the party has just three members in the Rajya Sabha from UP, even though the state sends 31 members to the Upper house, the highest in the 245-member legislative body. The party is thus all set to become the biggest player in the Rajya Sabha by 2018.

5. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s prospect of getting its candidate elected as the next president of the country has increased manifold with its victory in UP and Uttarakhand. Even if the NDA is short of the arithmetic sum of 50.1 per cent of the Electoral College, experts believe the latest numbers and the scale of the party’s victory in UP will help other parties change their perception towards Modi and the way they relate with him.

6. Many believe Modi’s win in the 2019 general elections is now certain after the spectacular win in the UP elections, dubbed as the semi-final for the next elections. With the 2019 general elections in mind, the BJP is likely to relaunch its campaign against illegal wealth — its major poll plank in the 2014 elections.

7. BJP may go ahead with its plan to build the controversial Ram temple in Ayodhya. Hindu fundamentalist outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) feels the victory in UP was a vote for the “nationalist powers” and will pave the way for construction of the Ram temple.

8. The poll outcome will lead to reforms gaining momentum, owing to improved coordination between the Centre and the states. Experts also believe Modi’s new stature will help state governments in looking up to the Centre with “a fresh and positive frame of mind.”

9. Knowing that his decisions will not be challenged much, Modi will now have to worry less about mollifying disgruntled Members of Parliament (MPs). He can sit comfortable with less stress as far as dealing with the Parliamentarians — his own and those from other parties — is concerned.

10. The UP and Uttarakhand victories have spurred the BJP in Karnataka to prepare a ground-plan to wrest the state from Congress in the 2018 legislative assembly polls. Party president Shah already said the victory march of BJP will now reach Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and will further enter the eastern and southern parts of the country

source : gulfnews