RSS-linked weekly decodes BJP's Maha flop show: 'Workers didn't like joining hands with NCP'

Did the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) lead to the saffron party's abysmal performance in the Lok Sabha polls? The question has been reignited as Vivek, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-linked Marathi weekly, has attributed the BJP's alliance with NCP apart from the lack of communication between the party, its workers and the NDA government in the state. 

The latest issue of the Marathi weekly said that the saffron party's alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP caused much chagrin among the BJP workers and the party leaders are aware of this.

"Every BJP worker, while narrating the unease and reasons for failure in the Lok Sabha polls (in Maharashtra), starts with the alliance with NCP. It is clear that the workers of the BJP have not liked joining hands with the NCP. Even the BJP leaders know this," the weekly said.

In the recent general elections, the Mahayuti bagged a total of 17 seats. Of this, the BJP bagged 9 seats, the Shinde-led Sena won 7 seats and the NCP-Ajit Pawar could secure win on only 1 seat. The article, however, did not pin any blame on the Shiv Sena for the Lok Sabha poll debacle.

It said that despite a few hiccups here and there, the BJP's alliance with the Shiv Sena is considered due to the Hindutva brand. While commenting further on the resentment against NCP, the weekly said, "The Lok Sabha results only added to this resentment. Parties and leaders make their calculations but what if they go wrong? This question needs to be answered."

This, however, was not the only pro-RSS piece that attributed the BJP's alliance with NCP to its lackluster show in the Lok Sabha elections. In June this year, Ratan Sharda, a lifelong RSS ideologue, said in his piece in the Organiser that taking the NCP into the NDA fold was a monumental blunder on part of the BJP. 

Sharda said in his piece: "Sharad Pawar would have faded away in 2-3 years as NCP would have lost energy with infighting between cousins. Why was this ill-advised step taken?" He also said that the BJP workers were hurt by the alliance as they fought against the NCP's ideology and had to face persecution. 

Moreover, the Vivek article also questioned if the BJP's campaign around anti-Emergency struggle and sacrifices during the Ram Temple agitation would resonate with the young voters in the state polls or not. It also said that many BJP workers with a Hindutva ideology have not only sought posts but also want their "voices to be heard."

The article said that people have anxieties with regards to issues concerning Hindutva, governance, industry, business, economy, education and employment. "The literate middle-class from all castes is today's reality and BJP received tremendous support from them in 2014 and 2019. It is a worrying fact if this section is uncomfortable," the article said.