Editorial: V-P election and regional parties
The opposition parties too put up a brave and principled fight and by bagging about 40% of votes have demonstrated their unity and a force to reckon with in national politics
The Vice Presidential election was a political test of sorts for the ruling National Democratic Alliance, and the victory of its candidate, though it seemed like a foregone conclusion, has shown that the BJP is firm in the saddle and its allies and other parties are not going to rock the boat. The opposition parties too put up a brave and principled fight and by bagging about 40% of votes have demonstrated their unity and a force to reckon with in national politics.
The non-NDA, non-INDIA bloc parties, such as the Biju Janata Dal, Bharat Rashtra Samiti, and Akali Dal, chose to abstain. In the present scenario, being neutral or not being anti-NDA would be construed as lending implied or tacit support to the ruling coalition. The larger question, however, is — in the present phase of coalition politics, what will be the role and relevance of regional parties, including AAP and BSP? Pro-BJP parties like AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and JD(S) in Karnataka, too, have their own dilemmas. These parties continue to have varying sizes of vote banks, but increasingly will find it difficult to keep their support base intact and their flock of elected leaders, who are vulnerable to poaching. Many opportunistic leaders switch sides, especially during election season, sensing a change in political winds. When it comes to their vote base, it is a mammoth struggle to retain it solely on regional, caste-related identities and aspirations.
Another issue is the internal bickering, faction fights, succession battles, and legal vulnerabilities of some key leaders or family members of the party supremo. This was the case with BRS, BSP, and JD(S), which makes it difficult for them to take strong and independent positions at recent critical junctures of Indian politics, which could disappoint sections of their voters.
Being a part of the BJP camp is also not an easy and given choice. The AIADMK in Tamil Nadu finds itself on the horns of a dilemma when it comes to joining hands with the BJP, given the prevalent sentiment against the national party in the state. Ahead of elections, the AIADMK is in the midst of an internal storm in which the role of the BJP, which has been trying for the last several years to make a dent in the state politics, is widely suspected. That’s the challenge and possibly the grave danger many parties face. Joining the BJP camp or staying seemingly neutral will not, especially in the long run, ensure their survival as an independent political entity. Opposition parties keep harping on the so-called kiss of death threat smaller parties will face if they do not take a clear-cut stand against the BJP, which over time appears to have a tendency to hollow out even friendly parties.
The question, therefore, is whether the regional parties in general will be able to survive and continue to stay relevant in the Indian version of the fourth party system (which refers to the post-2014 period). Regional parties presently in power in non-BJP-ruled states do not have a choice but to pursue hardline anti-BJP politics. Other regional parties, which will have to fight assembly elections in their respective states, need to reinvent themselves and reimagine their politics to strengthen federalism. This could be a tall order, but not entirely impossible to achieve.
