The recent by-poll results which were seen as a litmus test for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have favoured the grand alliance of the Opposition and regional parties in several States. The heated contest in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana lok Sabha seat was the epicentre, where Rashtriya lok Dal (RlD) candidate Tabassum Hasan, who was backed by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress and tacitly supported by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), defeated her rival BJP candidate Mriganka Singh by over 50,000 votes.
BJP retained the Palghar lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra, the alliance partner Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) won in Nagaland and gained one Assembly seat in Tharali (Uttrakhand). This might certainly ring a bell in the political corridors of the BJP as the Opposition unity once again showed the impact it can have on 2019 General Elections. A fractured Opposition with Congress at the back foot helped the BJP build a social coalition and consolidate votes of different castes in States like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan etc and win the election in 2014.
But a united Opposition is giving a tough fight to the BJP, sending a signal that the result of 2004 General Election might get repeated with Congress being the fulcrum of the alliance. BJP needs a course correction in its policies towards farmers and rural distress; maintain camaraderie with its allies and transform the narrative with accountability and acknowledgement of issues. Amidst the political trauma for the BJP, the Modi magic is still on in the country, and the last-mile connectivity which Prime Minister Narendra Modi provides through his rallies, remains impeccable and undisputed; the road to 2019 elections still goes through a juggernaut.