NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election.
New Delhi:
One more phase to go for the Lok Sabha elections 2024 to end, what’s the public mood? NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia and political analysts discuss the big election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking to win a third term, while the Opposition is counting on a very slim chance of anti-incumbency.
Here are the Highlights of NDTV Battleground on public mood after 6 phases
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Neerja – Congress and other parties are promising voters to give this or that. Middle class think is to too much that’s happening with the 400 mark promise
Sanjay – 400-mark promise fell flat on its face.
Sandeep – There was expectation before elections to achieve 400 mark but after phase 1 they felt whether it is achievable or nor. Elections are often an emotional response. There are small waves in states and we’ll see the impact in states.
Amitabh – Karnataka could be an outlier state. There’s consensus that BJP will come to power but how much will it get is a discussion.
Neerja – Except Nehru, no other PM remained popular after 10 years. We have to understand the changing India. Opposition is fighting this time and not giving up compared to last time. BJP has a leader and a strong party that can convert sentiment to vote.
Sandeep – Opposition chose the correct strategy to not fight it with a face but the problem was there was no common strategy.
Sanjay – The election started from somewhere but headed into a different direction.
Amitabh – People vote for a good future. In the last 5 years, through covid, cash income schemes, people from SC/ST communities got access to mobile phone and these 2 communities are deciding the elections and this helped BJP to use social media for communications.
Sanjay Kumar – BJP wanted to fight elections on national issues like abrogation of Article 370, but the Opposition continued to raise the issue of inflation and unemployment and change in the constitution.
Neerja – Except Nehru, no other PM remained popular after 10 years. We have to understand the changing India. Opposition is fighting this time and not giving up compared to last time. BJP has a leader and a strong party that can convert sentiment to vote.
Sandeep – Opposition chose the correct strategy to not fight it with a face but the problem was there was no common strategy.
Sanjay – The election started from somewhere but headed into a different direction.
Amitabh – People vote for a good future. In the last 5 years, through covid, cash income schemes, people from SC/ST communities got access to mobile phone and these 2 communities are deciding the elections and this helped BJP to use social media for communications.
Amitabh – Today the opposition is fighting to bring BJP below 272 and not win the elections and it’s a defeatist attitude.
Neerja – Congress might gain in Karnataka, BJP will lose. BJP will compensate in Telangana, Odisha, there are 2 opinions in Bengal. If you’re losing the 303 mark but your gaining somewhere.
Sanjay – In 2019, BJP got more than 50% vote on 224 seats. The discussion is not about whether BJP is losing or not? Now is it about whether BJP will get 300 or not. Even if BJP is losing then it’s not much to create a diff in its tally.
Amitabh – When BJP gave the 400 target, there was an ambition to break Rajiv Gandhi’s 1984 record. If the opposition is losing then they’ll look for the gains in that defeat for their supporters.
Amitabh – To covert discontent into anger was somehow missing in the Opposition’s campaign
Professor CSDS Sanjay Kumar – Discussion is not about BJP will lose, but the discussion is about will the BJP get 370 plus seats
Sanjay – Do you see BJP tally’s going below 300 or above
Lokniti Network National Coordinator Sandeep Shastri – For BJP to cross 300 plus mark depends on Maharashtra West Bengal. There won’t be much change in Uttar Pradesh
Senior journalist Neerja Chowdhury – It’s difficult to decode this election. The election is complex. At some level, we are not seeing that Modi wave, on a different level there are some fence-sitters. Modi Wave cannot control the opposition, who have local issues. Opposition is giving a fight but that doesn’t mean they are equal to BJP.
NDTV Editor-In-Chief Sanjay Pugalia – There are some states where BJP performed well in 2014, 2019 looks weak this time but is expected to do well in states where it didn’t do well earlier. It looks like a waveless election.
Sandeep – There are small waves in states.
Political analyst Amitabh Tiwari- Voting is an emotional decision, there’s discontent. Last time BJP got 40% votes but converting discontent to anger is important. There was one-sided election in Dec 2023 polls. Wave is seen after election. It’s not easy to understand the psyche of the voter.
