There was no more certain remark about the chances for his party in 2024 than Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, “I will be back next year to address you from the Red Fort.” And that, too, from the Red Fort’s ramparts. Modi has good grounds for his optimism.
One, the prime minister is certain that his nine years of anti-corruption leadership would be recognized by voters when they cast their ballots in the general elections last year.
Second, Modi believes that his actions have always been in India’s best interests and have strengthened the nation. These themes might be the focus of Modi’s general election campaign: if voters believe he has kept the “na khaunga, na khane dunga” pledge and has consistently placed the needs of the nation first in his decisions, they should support him for a second term.
The prime minister is also appealing to the underlying feeling of the populace, which is the desire for a stable, majority-rule government rather than a “khichdi sarkar” as promised by the INDIA coalition. According to a senior cabinet member who spoke to News18, the prime minister is certain that the nation has gone beyond voting unstable coalition administrations or political dynasties and that voters now want the winning party to have a clear majority in order to implement significant changes. The senior cabinet minister said that although the UPA under Sonia Gandhi was able to win with a rainbow coalition in 2004, things have changed and Rahul Gandhi won’t be able to duplicate his mother’s accomplishment in 2024.
An additional senior minister told that the three large states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, which together elect 168 members to the Lok Sabha, would provide fantastic results for the BJP in 2024.
“Uttar Pradesh might be a large sweep like 2014 since there isn’t an alliance between SP and BSP this time around, unlike in 2019. The opening of the Ayodhya Ram Temple and the Gyanvapi affair would benefit the BJP, and Yogi Adityanath is in a good position as chief minister. Rahul Gandhi’s circumstances and reputation are similar to those of Akhilesh Yadav. Nitish Kumar has no longer any credibility in Bihar. We have joined forces with new Shiv Sena and NCP groupings in Maharashtra, and this would greatly increase our chances of success, added the senior minister.
The Independence Day event, when Modi dropped several indications about his strategy for the 2024 elections, was skipped by the Congress. The address was delivered in ‘classic Modi’ fashion. His criticism of the three problems afflicting the nation—corruption, appeasement, and dynastic politics—was an obvious dig at the Congress party, which the voters rejected in both 2014 and 2019.
From Red Fort, Modi also discussed how his administration has increased the security of the nation and its borders by putting an end to the frequent bombings and terrorist assaults that shook the UPA period. This creates a powerful concoction of promises and a Modi who is unbelievably certain that the Congress will be facing in less than a year.