Patna,(BiharTimes): Though former Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi was among the first in Bihar BJP to say that the results of by-polls in 33 Assembly election have nothing to do with the performance of the Narendra Modi government the truth is that his camp-followers are relieved over the stunning defeat of the party’s canddiates in three states––Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan.
They are happy that now nobody would blame Sushil Modi for the defeat of BJP’s candidates in six out of 10 seats which went to election on August 21. The argument is that who should then be blamed for the humiliating defeat of the party in these three states: Narendra Modi, Amit Shah or Vasundhara Raje?
The truth is that the setback the BJP received in these three states is much bigger than the one in Bihar. Here the BJP could win four seats out of 10 notwithstanding the grand alliance of the RJD, JD(U) and Congress while in UP the BJP lost eight out of its 11 seats notwithstanding the fact that the Bahujan Samaj Party did not field its candidates and in a way supported the saffron party. Like in the Lok Sabha polls the Dalits of UP voted for BJP and not Samajwadi Party. So the rout of the BJP in UP has made the leadership sit up and ponder. All this happened when it was led by ‘Man of the Match’ of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Amit Shah.
Similarly, in Gujarat the party lost three out of nine seats to the Congress, which has no state level leader like Mulayam Singh in UP. The Congress in the state is in disarray, yet it performed so well.
“Should we blame Narendra Modi for the defeat in Gujarat, his home state?” This is being asked.
However, even when the results was pouring in on Tuesday the Patna Saheb MP, Shatrughan Sinha, while talking to the media, was putting the blame on Sushil Modi for the poor performance in the Bihar by-polls of August 21. He had hardly anything to say on the September 13 by-eleections in which the party performed so badly in three of its bastions.
Political observers are of the view that this blame-game in the BJP would further harm the party in Bihar.
While its leaders at the national level are busy giving credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the victory in Delhi University Students’ Union election they are not prepared to blame the prime minister for such poor performance in these three states––notwithstanding favourable situation. They attribute these defeats to the local condition.
Analysts are of the view that SuMo may not have taken anyone in confidence in the by-election. But the same is true for Narendra Modi and Amit Shah too. At least Sushil Modi has ensured better performance than the two top central leaders as in Bihar the BJP fought the combined strength of Lalu Prasad, Nitish Kumar and Sonia Gandhi’s Congress.
It would be wrong for the party to make Sushil Modi a favourite whipping boy, said a Bihar watcher.