View from Zero Degree : Chandigarh looks to be ‘too far’ for the BJP

As of now, 2017 Assembly elections looks to be a dream for BJP as it could not survive in Cantonment elections

Chandigarh – capital of Punjab which housed the Chief Minister’s Secretariat – looks to be ‘too far’for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the coming 2017 Assembly Elections as it could not survive in recently concluded Cantonment Board elections.

The sworn alliance of Shirmani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has already entered into controversy over the various issues in Punjab. Alliance means a common view on all issues but in the past, BJP has demanded the resignation of SAD Minister Vikram Singh Majithia over his alleged involvement in the drug business. BJP had not associated with the SAD agenda, of creating awareness for stopping inflow of drugs, in the border districts. In fact, SAD had taken a U-turn from its initial statement of accusing the Border Security Force (BSF) and later on, converting it awareness campaign. It was like holding of a ear but from other side.

Keeping aside the Congress, which has lost its image at the national and state levels, the BJP has to suffer a lot in the cantonment elections. In Punjab, at Ferozepur Cantonment, it could win only one seat out of 8 seats while SAD sponsored candidates could put their hands on six seats. Congress got only one seat. Even the army enrolled vote could not have any impact on the final results of Modi factor in the country. All speculations were failed even in the wards with maximum number of Army voters.

I don’t think that the allotment of symbols other than the sponsoring party, as per the provisions of Cantonment elections, have any impact on the results as the election campaign along with the party leaders and workers makes it clear about association of the candidate with the particular party.

In fact, BJP is campaigning with ‘Modi factor’ in the country along with ‘Congress Free Rule’. In Chattishgarh Corporation elections, could not get the success.
At the same time, in UP Cantonment elections BJP has to face heavy loss as even in important areas like Varanasi and Lucknow, it could not win. In Varanasi, BJP could not win even a single seat out of fielding its candidates in 7 wards. Likewise, in Lucknow, BJP could not open its accounts despite a support from Pankaj Singh son of Union Minister Rajnath Singh.

Similarly, in Agra, BJP got a Lotus symbol and Central State Minister Ramshankar Katheria had himself campaigned, BJP could win only in one ward.
In Mathura area, BJP got only two seats out of seven wards.

So far as Kanpur, it could win only on 4 seats while fielding its candidates in 8 wards. In Barelley, Independents got four seats while BJP could win only three seats. In Ayodhya too it could not open its account whereas in Allahabad, BJP won only one seat out of seven.
With poor performance in the Cantonment Boards elections in UP from where Narendera Modi, Rajnath Singh had won the elections, it has become a issue of hot discussions in the political circles and the opposition got a chance to target to BJP sponsored candidates who lost in the elections.

On February 7, the BJP is yet to get another chance when Delhi elections have been announced. The choice seems to be between the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with the oldest party in the country – the Congress which is still to come out of the show of May 2014 elections. Any miracle can happen in the Indian political system to given big surprises beyond one’s expectations and speculations of ‘exit polls’ as happened in Delhi in 2013 Assembly elections with AAP getting majority. But in rest of the country, only Punjab could send 4 MPs to the Lok Sabha by expressing complete resentment against Congress and sworn alliance of SAD-BJP.

Frankly speaking, on the one hand, BJP is dreaming to win in 2017 Assembly elections in UP like other states but on the other hand, in small elections of Corporations and Cantonment, it is failing miserably by projecting a poor show. In such a scenario, the Chandigarh too looks to be ‘too far’ for BJP. Still there is a sufficient time for BJP with upper hand of its government at the Centre, it has to first introspect for the reasons leading to the failure in the elections of Corporation and Cantonment before planning a new strategy to win the confidence of the people by projecting new issues. However, because of internal rift between the Congress leaders itself and so far, this century old national party stands nowhere in the race.