PM Modi’s popularity was the main highlight of the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. The Modi baiters who were pinning hopes on regional parties to prevent the BJP from coming back into power were in for a rude shock. Several of the regional satraps have not only been squarely defeated, but their vote share has declined to abysmal levels suggesting that they have lost out on their vote base, making their rejuvenation almost an impossible task. As such the following six parties seem to have been reduced to irrelevance by the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and it won’t come as much of a surprise if these parties fail to survive when the country goes to polls again five years later. Even if these parties manage to survive, there is a little chance of gaining any solid vote base and regrouping a cadre which has been thoroughly demoralised.
The downfall of AAP was probably one of the major highlights of the 2019 Parliamentary elections. A party which had once promised to herald a new kind of politics in India has been emphatically rejected by the electorate for its populist and appeasement tactics. AAP drew a blank in the national capital, which was at one time seen as its stronghold. Out of the forty seats across nine states and union territories in which the party contested, it was able to win only from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. AAP lost on all seats in Delhi just like 2014. But this time its performance was even worse. In 2014, AAP had emerged as the runner up in all the constituencies in Delhi. However, this time around it came third on five seats and managed to secure the second position in only two seats in the national capital. It recorded a highest vote share of 18.10 percent among all the constituencies in Delhi. It is clear that the AAP has been sent packing from its bastion itself. As such, there is little hope of its survival from hereon.
Another big shock for the left-liberal cabal has been the downfall of the RJD. The caste politics of the party seems to have been done in by the Modi wave. RJD’s vote share has dropped to 15.4 percent. The RJD drew a blank and even RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti could not manage to withstand the Modi wave.
OP Chautala led INLD has also witnessed a catastrophic decline. Its vote share has declined for 24.4 percent in 2014 to 1.89 percent in 2029. While he has advised the party workers not to lose hope, it does not take much intellect to understand that the party is done and dusted.
Ajit Singh-led RLD also seems to have been rendered obsolete in the 2019 polls. Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary had to taste defeat in the polls showing that the party has lost whatever voter base it enjoyed.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the NDA won 39 out of 40 seats in the state of Bihar. The one remaining seat was won by the Congress. Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP suffered a drubbing and draw blank in the 2019 polls. RLSP was part of the Mahagathbandhan, which comprised of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Vikassheel Insan Party (VIP) and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). The setback for RLSP didn’t end there. After the Lok Sabha debacle, two MLAs and one MLC belonging to the RLSP switched camps to JD(U) on Sunday, signalling the party might cease to exist till the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Captain Vijayakanth’s DMDK, which was formed in 2005 also seems to be irrelevant in the current political scenario having secured just 2.19 percent vote share.
These regional satraps share the common features of caste and religion based politics. Despite the absence of any efficient administrative skills, these parties had survived for this long only on the basis of vote bank politics and nepotism. However, such parties seem to be in tatters. With even their so-called star leaders and candidates failing to make a mark, these satraps seem to be in for a lot of trouble.
