The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Sunday 19 October 2014

MAJOR TAKEAWAYS FROM MAHARASHTRA AND HARYANA ELECTION VERDICTS

Factors at play: Huge anti-incumbency + Ruling Party/Alliance Corruption + Modi Wave/Modi Factor + Promises of Developmental Politics.

Narendra Modi didn't campaign in bypolls: BJP languished. Modi campaigned extensively in assembly polls, inviting sarcastic remarks from his opponents and allies that he should have stayed focused on delivering in Delhi: BJP registers historic victories in Harayana and Maharashtra. It re-establishes the Modi Wave discourse as the central theme of political analyses on upcoming elections, Jammu & Kashmir and Jharkhand.

Maharashtra verdict: It was also about realignment of political affiliations and alliances in Maharashtra with new realities and changed circumstances and BJP has emerged as the clear winner. Parties contesting on their own to realize their political grounds - it had become politically imperative after decades of fighting together in alliances. It was to happen, sooner or later. But no Pankaja Munde or anyone like her, with being the daughter or son of a top politician as the only qualification, as the claimant of chief minister's chair please. In absence of an acceptable face to all, BJP may decide on Nitin Gadkari.

Out of NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena, the biggest setback goes to Shiv Sena. It is the biggest loser in spite of registering growth, in seats and in vote share. Many in the party would be rightly thinking now, that just for 5 seats, they lost the 'senior ally' in Maharashtra tag, and that too, by a huge margin. Yes, they are the second largest party in Maharashtra assembly but their 63 seats are nowhere near to BJP's 122 seats, given the fact that BJP had been acting as the junior partner of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and was ready to do so even this time, agreeing to contest on lesser number of seats than Shiv Sena in the failed seat-sharing talks.


The one 'glorious' highlight of the Maharashtra verdict - MNS and politics of hatred has been rejected. No glory for Raj Thackeray and his brand of politics. In fact, the whole Bal Thackeray clan deserves it if the family members don't change their ways. Bravo Maharahstra voters. Jai ho Marathi Manoos.

Also, the Hooda government wipe-out in Haryana was long overdue. Its arrogance and corruption was reeking nepotism and anti-democratic practices. There was an absolute family rule with the clan coming first in exploiting the state's resources. It was even cordially extended to a member of yet another 'first family' in Delhi. But, will the BJP led government reinstate the pride and position of honest officials like Ashok Khemka? Remain sceptical and take it with a spoon of salt given the controversy surrounding AIIMS whistleblower Sanjiv Chaturvedi's removal.

The country would see more of BJP's 'walk alone' strategy in upcoming polls after its unprecedented performance in Maharashtra and Haryana. In Haryana, from 2009 to 2014, the party scaled up its show from 4 to 47 seats winning the majority while contesting alone. In Maharashtra, though there were some small parties in alliance, it was largely about BJP. Contesting under the shadow of Shiv Sena for decades, the party stumped all emerging as the largest party. In fact, it is after 1990 that any party has win over 100 seats in Maharashtra and that party is BJP. It would certainly bolster Narendra Modi and Amit Shah who prefer to contest alone or on their own terms and talk emphatically of clear majority in electoral politics. 

©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com