It is out with the old and in with the new but what makes 2024 so special is the fact that it is also ELection Year. Although, going by the current trend, most psephologists have already called the election in favour of the sitting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that still doesnt take away from the fun of it all.
The bugle for the BJP’s election campaign will be sounded in January itself when the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya will be inaugurated in the presence of the great Hindutva Hriday Samrat himself.
This will be followed by the Budget in February, which may be just a vote on account as opposed to an actual budget but that will not stop the sitting government from announcing sops and freebies galore. In terms of legislation, the government has passed most of the bills it was keen on pushing. The Modi Government has also fulfilled all but one promise on the BJP’s manifesto, and that is the Uniform Civil Code . This could be the one item on the BJP’s in tray that the Modi Government will carry forward to 2024.
As for the Opposition, it has its task cut out with the Congress still reeling from the blows of the last round of assembly elections. Will the INDIA block be able to get its act together in time for the lok sabha polls. Despite the optics of various meetings it does seem a bit doubtful what with various allies not ready to cede much space to the COngress. Will the Congress bite the bullet on this for the sake of the larger picture i.e. putting up a united fight against the BJP? The Central leadership seems inclined but there is opposition from the local Congress leadership that doesn’t want to give up ground in favour of the party’s regional allies. This will make seat sharing talks difficult in almost all states, specially Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, Bihar and even Maharashtra.
Rahul Gandhi is also embarking on the second leg of his Bharat Jodo Yatra, so one can expect his social media timeline to be full of his various encounters with the public. These are interesting no doubt but the catch really is, can he convert these into votes for the Congress? Otherwise , given the fact that elections are not too far away, there is little time for such meet and greet encounters.
But in the end, with both the BJP and the Opposition gearing up for the ballot box, expect a very interesting year ahead. Because one this is for sure, elections in India are never boring, even when you think you know the result !
