- Today once again India has won! The power of the ballot has won & spirit of democracy has emerged supreme. My Blog http://nm4.in/1nzxTVU
- Due to social media, lies & false promises of several leaders could not go beyond the podiums of their rallies! More power to social media.
- NDA remained firmly focussed on the agenda of development & good governance & ensured this became focal points of the entire campaign.
Usually ruling Party sets agenda of the election but in this campaign ruling party was neither proactive nor responsive,it remained reactive- The biggest joy of 2014 Elections has been the increased turnout. Braving the scorching heat & the rain people turned out in large numbers.
- I congratulate the EC & the entire election & security staff for their continuous efforts during the entire Election.
Narendra Modi A victory for the people, a victory for India and the triumph of the ballot
Posted By admin On May 12, 2014 In Blog | No Comments
Dear Friends,
India has voted.
The biggest festival of democracy has just concluded and in those lakhs of EVMs lays the verdict of the people of India. Counting of votes will take place on 16thof May but today we already have the undisputed winners and they are the people of India! Once again, India has won, the power of the ballot has triumphed and the spirit of democracy has shown itself to be supreme.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Election Commission for conducting this mammoth exercise.I thank and salute all those countless election staff, security personnel and police personnel without whom no Election is possible.
It is unfortunate that we witnessed some untoward incidents during the poll process during which some lives were lost. I salute all those who wereunfortunately martyred and offer my deepest condolences to their families. These brave individuals lived and died for democracy. It is our duty to ensure that their sacrifices do not go in vain.
History will remember the 2014 Elections as historic and marking a paradigm shift from conventional electioneering. Normally, the party in power sets the agenda of the campaign but for the first time it was not the case. Far from setting the agenda, the ruling party was neither proactive nor responsive. It was only reactive throughout the campaign
What makes me very happy is the fact that the NDA remained firm on our agenda of development and good governance. We did not stop there; we successfully forced these two issues to become the focal point of the campaign. Yes, there were attempts to digress from these issues but we remained firm. The result was- those who wanted to praise us said we were doing well and those who wanted to critique us kept saying ‘we are doing better than BJP ruled states.’ An election must be fought on positive issues and I am glad we were able to alter the discourse in a way that helped people make their choices on the basis of a positive agenda.
2014 Lok Sabha elections will stand out for the increased turnout. Whenever polling would end for a particular phase, I would eagerly wait for the polling numbers and invariably my joy would increase seeing the jump in turnout. Be it the cities or villages, old or young, men or women, everyone voted in large numbers. In most of the places it was sweltering, in some places there was rain and in some of the places in the hills it was cool apart from the hilly terrain but none of this deterred people from going out and voting.
Here I want to make a special mention for the increasing turnout among youngsters. Back in the day, voting was not believed to be ‘cool enough’ for a lot of youngsters. Today that is history. Voting is cool and rightly so! One needs to log in to Facebook or Twitter on polling day to see the number of Selfies my young friends are sharing. This is a very positive sign and I hope it continues in the times to come.
Throughout the campaign, I was able to connect with local people and local issues and this was something that I enjoyed very much. Connecting with local sentiments in this manner would not have been possible without social media. This is the first election where social media has assumed an important role and the importance of this medium will only increase in the years to come. Our Party, our campaign and me personally have gained tremendously from social media. It became a direct means of information and gave us the much-needed local pulse on several issues without any bias. It is said that the success of an Organisation depends on the accuracy and promptness with which there is an upward flow of information from the grass root level workers and well-wishers to the top that is complimented by clear and timely guidance from the top rung to those working on the ground. With the advent of social media this principle of Organisational working stands further strengthened.
There is one more thing for which we have to profusely thank social media- it has caused the downfall of manufactured lies and half-truths at a very nascent stage. Earlier during Elections we had people whose lies would reach every section of society. In a time when means of communication were less, they could get away with their same old speeches and half-baked assurances. Social media has changed that! In this age of information and social media the lies that come out of their microphones cannot even get past the podium of their speech venues, forget reaching others. More power to social media in the days ahead.
I congratulate friends in the media for covering every aspect of the Elections. The media was active in every part of the nation, keeping us abreast with latest happenings. I do however feel that there is immense room for improving the debate and discourse surrounding the elections. At the same time, the continuous election humour that is a part of every election kept the smiles on our faces.
Along with the Lok Sabha Elections there were Assembly Elections in Odisha, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Two newly created states out of Andhra Pradesh will begin their development journey. Due to the Lok Sabha campaign, the local issues of all these states could not be discussed the manner in which they ideally should have been. I did make it a point to talk about my experiences in these poll bound states wherever I went across the nation.
Yes, this has been a hard-fought election. It had its joyous moments and there were heated moments as well. Now is the time to put the heat and dust of campaign behind and look ahead. Irrespective of who wins on the 16th, the dreams of a billion Indians should not suffer. Yes, as political parties and candidates we have differing ideologies but our goal is one- to work for India and to fulfill the aspirations of our youth.
This is the right time to look ahead. It is a time to connect with each other. Lets place people over politics, hope over despair, healing over hurting, inclusion over exclusion and development over divisiveness. It is natural for the spirit of bi-partisanship to get temporarily lost in the midst of an election campaign but now is the time to resurrect it.
Personally, this campaign has been a remarkable journey. In my Blog a few days ago I talked about how this journey was extensive, innovative and satisfying. I had never imagined that someone like me would find himself here today. This is the power of Democracy and this is the power of Bharat Mata. I want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of this journey. Your support and criticism made this journey a lot livelier. I want to specially thank the security forces who have travelled with me or travelled before me to the various rallies for security arrangements. If Narendra Modi could address so many rallies and meet so many people, a lot of credit goes to them.
Let me end with a few words to all my fellow candidates and workers from BJP and the NDA who fought shoulder to shoulder with us- thanks for your efforts and partnership. I wish each and every one the very best for 16thofMay.
Let us begin the journey towards ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ and create an India our founding fathers would be proud of.
Yours,
Narendra Modi
Article printed from Home | www.narendramodi.in: http://www.narendramodi.in
LOOKING FOR THE ANTITHESIS OF MANMOHAN SINGH
Tuesday, 13 May 2014 | A Surya Prakash |
A substantial section of voters have zeroed in on Narendra Modi for the Prime Minister's job. While he has built up his image as a firm and decisive leader, some credit must go to his detractors as well
The bitter and long drawn campaign in the Lok Sabha election, which finally came to an end last Saturday, has thrown up some trends regarding the factors which have influenced the voters this time. While it is never easy to forecast the number of seats each party will get, it is possible to pick up signals about which way the wind is blowing.
One trend that has been visible in Lok Sabha election since the emergence of regional political parties in different States is that State-level electoral preferences of voters usually gets reflected in a Parliament election as well. This trend may still persist in some States in 2014 as well, but there are signs this time that voters are drawing a clear distinction between the State Assembly and Lok Sabha poll.
During travels in four States in recent weeks, this writer met many voters who said that the question before them in this election was: “Who should govern India?”, and they had answered it through their ballot. This means that after a long time, electors in many States have risen above regional and caste considerations while exercising their franchise.
This trend appears to have crystalised over the past year or so because of the omissions and commissions of the UPA Government, There is much disappointment among voters about the performance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his leadership (or more correctly, the absence of it), his stony silence even in the face of calamities or even aggression from across the border and his failure to prevent blatant acts of corruption by his Ministers. The barbaric treatment of Indian soldiers by the Pakistan Army and the reports of regular Chinese intrusions into Indian territory and the pusillanimous response of the Union Government to these incidents has left many voters sad and angry. Finally, the real clincher is the nationwide feeling that Mr Singh is not in control of his Government and that he is subject to remote control.
Voters in different parts of the country state some or other of these reasons as influencing their voting decision in 2014 and say that they want a Prime Minister who has the following qualifications: He must be decisive; he must speak up for India; he must rejuvenate the economy; he must step up development; he must be in control of the Government; and he must provide a corruption-free Government. At first glance, this would seem like a tall order. But then one must note that the length of the peoples’ wish list is directly proportional to their disillusionment with the incumbent Government.
Apart from all this, there is another significant demand. The voters seem to want the next Prime Minister to head a ‘majboot sarkar’ (a strong Government), meaning thereby that they are no longer comfortable with unstable coalitions at the federal level. They feel that this trend needs to be reversed if one has to have a ‘majboot sarkar’ and a ‘decisive Prime Minister’. This also indicates the voters’ discomfort with Third Front-type Governments and, as a result, some of the parties falling in this category may get squeezed in this election.
Mr Singh describes this constraint as ‘coalition dharma’ and says that he is hamstrung by it. But the public perception is that this is actually ‘coalition adharma’, and that a strong-willed Prime Minister call always call the bluff of his allies and ensure that the Prime Minister’s Office retains its authority and control over Government.
This brings us to the final question: What does this mean in terms of the final outcome in Lok Sabha Election 2014? Since the voters are disillusioned with an unethical coalition at the Centre which is headed by a man who is perceived to be weak, they seem to want a Prime Minister who is the very antithesis of Mr Singh. A substantial section of voters have consequently zeroed in on Mr Narendra Modi for the job. While Mr Modi has built up his image as a firm and decisive leader focussed on development and governance, some credit must go to his detractors as well.
By singling him out for attack ever since the BJP anointed him as the prime ministerial candidate on September 13, 2013, they have willy-nilly made this a Modi or No-Modi election and for the moment, it appears to be working to Mr Modi’s advantage. Some other factors have also been working for him. For example, the fact that he was a tea-seller in a railway station during his formative years has struck a chord with the poor and dispossessed. They feel that he is living the great Indian dream which offers equal opportunity to one and all and enables even the poorest of the poor to move up the ladder provided one has the discipline, positive energy and the gumption to overcome social and economic disabilities and dream big.
Initially some members of the Congress mocked at his humble beginnings but clearly that seems to have boomeranged. The tea-seller is surely preferred to the dynast. The second factor that appears to be playing out in his favour is the fact that he belongs to a caste that is part of the Other Backward Classes. This fact has made it easier for a large section of the voters within this segment to rise above their caste considerations and relate to him.
Finally, a word about the BJP. Most of those who hit the lotus button on their electronic voting machines say that their vote was for Mr Modi and not the party. In many constituencies they say they neither know the BJP candidate nor do they care. All they know is that they are voting Mr Modi. Mr Modi has sensed this and, therefore, his television appeal to voters says “hit the lotus button and be assured that that vote is coming directly to me”.
There have been few occasions in the past when such a strong and charismatic personality has dominated the discourse in a parliamentary election. The only examples one can think of are the Lok Sabha elections held in 1971 and 1980. On both these occasions, it was Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the leader of her faction of the Congress versus the rest and on both occasions she came out triumphant. What does the general election of 2014 hold for us?
We must wait till May 16 to know the extent to which the electorate has backed Mr Modi and whether India will get a ‘strong and decisive’ Government.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/edit/looking-for-the-antithesis-of-manmohan-singh.html