Modi’s Resilient Political Journey Is Far From Over. 2025 Will Be Proof – News18

Final Up to date:January 01, 2025, 06:43 IST

Because the celebration’s high vote-catcher, the prime minister’s capacity to attach with the lots and steer the political narrative will stay central to its electoral technique.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is thought for his capacity to bounce again from setbacks, typically turning the political narrative in his favour. Nowhere was this extra evident than in 2024, a yr that started with excessive confidence on the again of three state victories, noticed a mid-year dip for the BJP within the Lok Sabha, and culminated in a dramatic political resurgence with two main state victories because the yr ended.

A defining second for Modi this yr got here throughout the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in February. This occasion was symbolic not simply of his management but additionally of the bigger political narrative he had been shaping for years of restoring Hindu pleasure.

Many within the BJP anticipated the Lok Sabha polls to then be a cakewalk.

However a setback was in retailer as BJP’s tally dropped from 302 seats to 240, and sarcastically the largest dent got here from Uttar Pradesh. A silver lining was the TDP and JDU serving to NDA cross the bulk mark and a big win within the Odisha meeting ballot.

Though the Nationwide Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a historic third consecutive time period, with Modi equaling Nehru’s win report as PM, the Congress celebration aimed to problem the notion of Modi’s invincibility. Rahul Gandhi argued that the Opposition was simply 20-30 seats away from toppling the federal government, regardless of the Congress securing solely 99 seats.

Modi, nevertheless, was fast to reply, declaring that the BJP had gained extra seats than the whole opposition bloc (INDIA), together with the Congress, within the final three common elections mixed. He additionally highlighted BJP’s victories in key states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh on the finish of 2023 as proof of the enduring recognition of the ‘Modi issue’.

However nothing succeeds like success. The turning level for Modi got here by way of his electoral victories in Haryana and Maharashtra, which considerably shifted the political narrative.

These wins not solely solidified his dominance but additionally gave delivery to a key slogan of his marketing campaign: ‘Ek Hain Toh Protected Hain’ (Unity is Security). This phrase had sidelined the Congress’s ‘Samvidhan Khatre Mein Hai’ (Structure is in Hazard) marketing campaign throughout the Lok Sabha elections by rising because the rallying cry of 2024, efficiently reasserting BJP’s place amongst Dalit voters and consolidating its Hindu vote base.

Modi’s confidence was unmistakable throughout the November celebrations on the BJP headquarters following the celebration’s resounding win in Maharashtra. The temper on the headquarters was starkly totally different from the subdued reactions after the BJP’s third consecutive victory within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Modi’s capacity to rebound from setbacks is a trademark of his political profession.

After the 2002 Gujarat riots, many believed his political future was over. Nonetheless, he not solely managed to rebrand himself with the Gujarat mannequin of improvement but additionally emerged as a nationwide determine, ultimately turning into prime minister in 2014 on the again of his picture as a visionary chief and a “Hindu Hriday Samrat” (Emperor of Hindu Hearts).

Regardless of quite a few challenges, together with fees of political vendetta and the arrest of his shut affiliate Amit Shah, Modi persevered, in the end claiming victory in Delhi in 2014.

In 2024, going through a rising opposition narrative round caste census and the Adani controversy, Modi shifted his focus to blunt these assaults. The Congress’s makes an attempt to rally Dalit assist by way of these points have been countered successfully, significantly in Maharashtra. The BJP in actual fact swept the SC-dominated seats in Maharashtra, in a reversa from the Lok Sabha situation.

The BJP’s efforts to neutralise the opposition’s caste-based agenda, in addition to its strategic responses to criticisms surrounding the Adani group, helped defend Modi’s picture.

By the tip of the yr, the BJP had strategically raised the problem of George Soros, trying to hyperlink the Opposition, significantly the Gandhis, to international affect. This proactive method underscored Modi’s willpower to not let opposition narratives acquire floor. Modi’s 105-minute lengthy tackle in Parliament whereas replying to the controversy on the structure confirmed how the PM was again in his aspect and true kind.

Trying forward, 2025 will convey new challenges. The controversy round Amit Shah’s remarks on Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar are once more rallying the Opposition collectively. The Congress is determined to unite the fractured Opposition, and Modi is more likely to face renewed assaults because the battle for Delhi intensifies.

The BJP’s management is about to go head-to-head with Arvind Kejriwal in a high-stakes election. Later in 2025, the alliance with Nitish Kumar in Bihar will likely be examined, and the BJP will face a troublesome contest within the state, which has lengthy been a key battleground.

But, all through these challenges, the BJP will proceed to depend on its most formidable asset—Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Because the celebration’s high vote-catcher, Modi’s capacity to attach with the lots and steer the political narrative will stay central to its electoral technique.

As 2024 ends, one factor is evident: Modi’s political journey is way from over, and his resilience within the face of adversity has solely strengthened his maintain over Indian politics.

Modi’s slogan is ‘Ek Hain Toh Protected Hain’, however for the BJP the slogan could be ‘Modi Hai Toh Protected Hain’.