Outcome of 2024 general elections tells us that the idea of politics and democracy is more embedded in Indian social life than the echo chambers of media. Social media not only limits our understanding but hinders any possibility of subtle interconnections between democracy and participation of ordinary people. Any mystical account of a leader that transcends their worldly existence contradicts real life lived challenges of masses in this country who survive in the bare minimum in the 21st century. In other words, consolidation and mobilization of voters in this election was an enigma that was unnoticed by pollsters and mainstream media. As the jury is still out on caste consolidation and combination one thing is clear that much-hyped consolidation of various castes into the Hindutva fold and explanations of it as the domination of Hindutva was nothing but reproduction of the gaze of power that came from a ruling party.
Special mention of the state of Uttar Pradesh BJP’s big bastion in the last two general elections is a must in this 2024 result as UP has shown that any explanation adopting the macro lens for advancing a macro explanation of politics in UP falls short in taking note of micro political developments which advance a better understanding of politics in UP in particular and India in general.
The result of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has in a very dominant way proven that the campaign against EVM machines of being tampered and so on by the opposition is merely a desperate attempt by the opposition to malign the ruling government and a way to escape their defeat in the last elections. For example the Indian National Congress had no qualms regarding the EVM in 2004 & 2009 general elections when it rose to victory. However, after 2014 when it’s political fortunes began to descend the Congress levied the EVMs as faulty and that they were tampered.
India and it’s people have stood for democracy, secularism and freedom of speech and expression and that power lies in the janta. Though away from the aspired numbers Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of the country, for “restoring their faith” in the BJP as the party looks set to form the government at the Centre for a third successive term.