Decoding the Factors behind BJP's Landslide Victory in Maharashtra

This Maharashtra assembly election has winners: Bharatiya Janata Party and the Mahayuti alliance with which it campaigned. Frankly speaking, nothing can adequately prepare one for the manner in which the electoral victory has unfolded for the winner, shocking political analysts and pollsters till the concerned level of surprises. On the surface, several factors-from targeted voter outreach to strategic recalibration of electoral priorities-seem to have fed into this success. Here is a closer look at the key aspects.

1. Counter-Consolidation Strategy The BJP realized that there was consolidation of particular communities’ votes after the last Lok Sabha performance of election results. They allied with the RSS and its associating organizations in consolidation of Hindu votes. This was a move to counter the perceived blocks of oppositions.
2. Dalit Outreach

The BJP pulled out all stops to repair perceived slippage in its Dalit voter base, which had partly been due to the campaigns of Congress raising fears over reservation policies. One important appointment was that of Kiren Rijiju, a Buddhist and Minister for Minority Affairs, who was to reach out to neo-buddhist communities. Further fragmentation of the Dalit vote could have been debilitating for the opposition alliances, courtesy the Supreme Court awarding the sub-categorisation of Scheduled Caste quota.

3. Maratha Vote Dynamics

The Maratha community is one of the major electoral groups in Maharashtra, and their preference vote trend changed. The worsening perception regarding the impact of Maratha reservationist Jarange Patil and the view that Eknath Shinde would be much more stronger contender for the CM’s post helped to mobilize some part of the Maratha vote to the BJLP-led Mahayuti.

4. Vidarbha Revival

Traditionally a BJP stronghold, Vidarbha had started slipping away in recent elections. The seat count for the BJP in the region had dropped substantially in the 2019 elections compared to 2014. This time, with Devendra Fadnavis leading the party, it intensified outreach to backward classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and smaller communities, reclaiming its stronghold in the region.

5. Targeted Social Welfare Initiatives

Welfare programs, such as the ‘Ladki Bahin’ girl empowerment initiative, struck a chord with voters. It ensured that these programs were visible and reached out to a large segment of the population, thereby building strength across various strata.

6. Organized Candidate Selection

BJP and coalition selected extremely careful candidates for participating in the election from each section of the society; the process of selection was likely to consolidate votes across caste and community lines.

7. Fractured Opposition

The opposition alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), struggled with internal discord and failed to present a united front. This disunity, combined with the BJP’s focused campaign, left the opposition unable to counter the ruling alliance’s narrative effectively. 

8. Perception of Strong Leadership

Perceived stable strong leadership in the alliance under the BJP, especially by such faces as Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, certainly also mattered. The voters appear to have preferred a continuity of leadership and governance experience that BJP projected during the campaign.

 Conclusion

The smash success achieved by the BJP in Maharashtra owes much to strategic planning, targeted outreach and the ability to stay attuned to changes in political dynamics. Something that helped the BJP consolidate its position was effective redressal of voters’ concerns and social and community-based strategies. This development in the changing scenario of Maharashtra’s politics should make opposition parties look for a need to introspect and recast strategies.