BJP's way forward post Bihar election debacle

The Bihar elections have come and gone and results declared. Two main coalition groups, NDA and Mahagathbandhan fought the elections.  NDA had taken the big decision to have the PM as the main face of the party. Hence, for NDA, the elections were a reaffirmation of their policies carried out by the PM at the Centre and a stamp that they were on the right track while also highlighting the failure of Nitish Kumar, the incumbent CM.  Different leaders of the Mahagathbandan had their own reasons  – for Nitish Kumar- the elections was a fight for survival and an alternate Opposition face, for Lalu - the elections was a fight for relevance and for a third set of leaders – Lalu’s sons-the elections was a platform to launch their political careers.

The results are a big setback to Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. The reason to mention only these 2 is due to their style of centralized functioning. The last 18 months have shown the PM make a strong push for growth and development. However, this election should be a dampener for him and BJP for a variety of reasons and Narendra Modi along with the BJP party need to work on the points mentioned below:

1. As promised during 2014 elections, take strong, tangible and immediate action on the corrupt of UPA regime – NH,2G,Coal scams etc. 18 months is a long time and no tangible action has been seen by the public. Be firm on the action taken against NGO's.
2. Get back to Development mantra and agenda. In 2014, people across religions and caste voted for BJP only due to the promise of Development. Even now, across all parties, BJP is the only party that can deliver Development.
3. Every election shows that while other religions vote as per their religious beliefs, the  Hindu vote gets divided. The only way to go forward is to accept this fact. This also happens due to improper behaviour and loose talk of BJP leaders. Take strong and immediate action against MP’s, leaders and karyakartas who deviate from the Development agenda and indulge in loose talk. Hence, penalties should be swift and tangible including expulsion from party. This along with strong development agenda should keep the Hindu vote united.
4. Develop a strong, magnetic, communicative 2^nd rung of leaders at the centre. Many Ministers who are young and successful in their ministries can be developed by giving them additional responsibilities. There is an over reliance on a small team of central leaders.
5. Seniors in the party such as Arun Shourie, should be approached by keeping egos aside. Their wisdom and experience in ministries and media is invaluable and should be effectively utilized for better performance.
6. Develop strong leaders in each state. Narendra Modi himself was a state leader who rose to national prominence. State elections have to be fought on state issues with strong group of local leaders who have risen from the grass roots.
7. Develop effective spokespersons in each language. Train them appropriately.
8. Continuous interactions with BJP karyakartas, workers at grass roots level. They are loyal and hardworking and need to be engaged with even when there are no elections.
9. Drop non-performing Ministers even if they are senior. Many key ministries are not delivering the required results.
10. Firmer hold on the economy. While long term measures are necessary, short term initiatives need to be immediately taken. One instance is appointing heads of various public sector banks.
11. Engage with smaller Opposition parties on a continuous basis. They are required to legislate and pass key bills in RS. Be assertive in LS.
12. Continuous discussions with allies. Currently, allies are keen to attack BJP. A positive environment with them needs to be created where NDA is seen as a cohesive group. The onus for this is on BJP as the largest party.
13. Firm and assertive PR and media management. Accept that Main stream media is hostile to BJP. People are aware that certain media houses are playing mischief. No point in going soft on them.

Fortunately, BJP and Narendra Modi have three and half years to learn the lessons from the Delhi and Bihar debacles and indulge in course correction. If the above points are addressed and communicated effectively to the Indian public, 2019 can still see the return of BJP.