Indian Elections 2024 - Churning by Great Leaders for a Great Nation

The general elections for the next five-year term have arrived in India. The 2024 Indian general election is currently underway, and it is the world’s largest democratic exercise. The election is being held in seven phases across the country from April 19 to June 1, 2024, in which eligible voters from India’s population of 1.4 billion will cast their ballots to decide who will fill the 543 seats of more powerful lower house of parliament and who will become the India’s next Prime Minister. The first phase has already been past us on April 19 and there are 6 upcoming days of polling till June 1 in different parts of the country. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4th, and we will know the results on the very day. We will be waiting nearly for 40 days for the voting to take place and give us a picture of the next leader for five years. The fingers are crossed and there is anticipation in the air as to who will achieve victory – is it the ruling B.J.P or the principal opposition Congress. Even if we leave the winner of the election, by virtue of the strength of the combatants and the fierce battle on cards, it will be the people who will win ultimately.  

We will not see the arrival of battle to this height even once in a few decades. But we are staring at it in this year. The reason is simple – the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been at the helm for a decade from 2014 and is still going very strong without slowing down a bit. The congress which has tasted defeat in the last two outings, has been in opposition for a decade and is looking forward to claiming victory by giving its everything in this turn. The strength of the ruling machinery with a leader having highest approval rating in the world is in duel with the grand old congress which has never been in opposition for more than 8 years at a stretch in Independent India. However, the grand old party has already been in opposition for the last 10 years and battling it all means to avoid another 5 years coming second best. The stakes can never be so high for congress and a strong, resurgent B.J.P blazing all its guns to hopefully look at the outcome of a milestone election. Despite everything it has done, the INDIA bloc can provide a best foot forward to give a bit of a formidable challenge if not a no challenge to the ruling B.J.P. This is the elephantine strength of the ruling party under the leadership of once in a lifetime pioneering leader. 

With its high stakes, we have already seen the people will benefit from the fierce rivalry at the play and tough equations on the ground. We can know who will become the Prime Minister from the two front runners. No two persons must have been as qualified as the two vying for the top post. We can look at what they have done in the time leading up to this moment of becoming the PM. I have seen a lot and gets amazed by it. Let me put the same here to know about whom we should vote for.  

We will faint if we look at the achievements and accolades of PM Modi. The two biggest achievements for me and for period is bringing B.J.P to power for two consecutive terms single-handedly, crossing the magic number all by one party and without requiring any outside support. Can anyone do it at national level to sway everyone for so long, cross 272 seats very comfortably without any alliance and without any other prominent or powerful second man. The story belongs to the make of super-humans under super conditions and will not be possible for normal men in the nation. There is never so much support and so much approval for single person ever in Independent India after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. The conditions are slow and simmering 60 years back, but the modern-day India is a far tough nut to crack. No one has ever did it in modern India and it is the biggest achievement. I still remember the 2019 elections, how the present PM has effortlessly crossed 300 seats all by himself and how everyone has taken him for granted that he would deliver. Number 1,2 achievements are listed above, and this list will stretch to number 100 and beyond when we look at the work done over 10 years in the rigorous routines. I will faint and remain unconscious for a few years if you look at all those. For instance, he has received highest state awards from 14 foreign countries who have fondly given the award to the most popular, unassuming world leader of the times. No popular president from U.S. or a more powerful leader in the world has ever received more than 5 awards from foreign nations. Period. The highly popular U.S. president of the times, Obama received highest state awards from 3 nations. 3 vs 14 is the representation of the highest level of work accomplished and any semblance to compete by these tall leaders in the prevailing world. 

India is a country which requires tremendous work for the upliftment of its 140-crore population and masses ask for greatness from its popular leaders. The curve of their upliftment and the leader's greatness has gone hand in hand in the last 10 years. I will list 10 of the achievements from this government domestically and many left unrevealed. 1. Demonetization or note ban 2. GST, Economy 3. Ram Mandir construction, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor etc. 4. Abrogation of Article 370 5. Covid handling, vaccine 6. UPI, digital economy 7. Financial inclusion 8. Infrastructure 9. Swach Bharat and clean water 10. Welfare schemes. There are many others not mentioned in the broad list. For instance, Ayushman Bharat which has been providing free medical treatments to the needy is one example where the government has penetrated very deeply into the lives of common men by providing much needed services when it is required. This is not name sake welfare or name sake governance but governance of high performance which impacts the lives of poor positively and in all dimensions. Every good welfare scheme and development project has been taken up, leaving no stone unturned in changing the destiny of its people. Giving a third term and continuing a well performing government in momentum will be a big boon to the nation and its people. But is it humanly possible for these leaders to deliver in similar vein for another 5 years is a tough question to ponder. 

Coming to the opposite side or political rival, there is a dynast prince who is at the helm of the grand old congress party. He didn’t do any less work in his capacity and to earn the credentials to give a tough fight in this important election for himself, his party and for the nation. No politician has ever walked across the nation to campaign for a national election earlier and to get the top post. But the times have propelled Rahul Gandhi to undertake ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ - the march across the length and breadth of India covering thousands of kilometers. This is no small effort and extremely novel and unique in modern India. The first yatra from Southern tip to Northern tip, 136-day march, covering 4,081 kilometres in 12 states and two Union territories, 75 districts and 76 Lok Sabha constituencies, left an indelible impression on people's minds. He addressed 12 public meetings, more than 100 street-corner meetings, over 275 planned walking interactions, more than 100 sitting interactions and many press conferences. The second leg, commonly referred to as the Nyay Yatra was a movement led by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, starting on 14 January 2024 from Thoubal in Manipur and ended on 16 March 2024 in Mumbai spanning east-west of India for over 6000 kms in hybrid mode. In a normal world, an effort of so much strain would give a victory in election without any question. But in the current world, to be a giant-killer of a giant of the order of present P.M., you never knew what is the extent to stretch – probably we need to walk to Mars and travel back. Why would anyone need to churn so much and why would anyone does so much for the welfare of common man. We are living in these tough times where the seeds for a developed nation have been sown after tens of centuries of suppression. Whom to vote for is a tough decision. Even I didn’t figured out whom I will vote for. Almost all of the pre-poll surveys have predicted a third term for BJP-led NDA but we never knew if the wind will favor the opposite at the most opportune moment. For everything to reveal and to come with a post-poll dawn to take over, we need to wait for June 4th.