Rock the vote

One should never underestimate the power of the young. And the 2014 General Election was as much about hope and change as it was about the grit and determination of India's youngistan. For long, they had been shunned for being apolitical and unmindful of the country’s future. But one does not need to be a rocket scientist to understand the verdict of the Dil Mange More generation.

One should never underestimate the power of the young. And the 2014 General Election was as much about hope and change as it was about the grit and determination of India's youngistan. For long, they had been shunned for being apolitical and unmindful of the country’s future. But one does not need to be a rocket scientist to understand the verdict of the Dil Mange More generation.

The 2014 election results took me by surprise, not because of Narendra Modi winning, but by the number of seats he won. I thought May 16 would be an easy breezy day, given that the exit polls had predicted that the BJP and its allies would cross the 272+ mark and Modi would win. Quite expected! However, what unfolded on the morning of May 16 was a tad bit unexpected.

I remember watching the verdict day of 2009 elections. I had spent the day locked in my flat, eyes glued to laptop, missing classes and following TV news. It was a simple result. The UPA got the required seats and the next day life went back to normal. It was neither talked about nor extensively discussed. But when I saw the verdict on May 16 and the saffron surge, the first thing that came to my mind was the song from Chennai Express – ‘Kashmir main tu Kanyakumari, North-South ki kat gayi dekho doori hi saari’. It was evident that across the country, people from all walks of life had clearly announced their inclination in no uncertain terms. But for me, I couldn’t stop thinking about the result. The BJP single-handedly won 283 seats, and with allies, its number went up to 337. It was simply WOW!

I have always had problem with numbers. This time too, the numbers made my mind boggle. Not a single politician had thought that the BJP would get an absolute majority on its own. Then how did they get the numbers?

I tried finding answers through my general discussions with friends, family, the experienced and the not-so experienced, but I wasn’t satisfied. None of the answers satisfied my curious mind. When I sat down to write , this I didn’t know what to say. While trying to find something inspiring to write, I read through my previous blog: The first-time voter phenomena. There the answer lied. Modi got the seats because the country’s young and the restless were determinedly pursuing change. The momentous mandate with which Narendra Modi won was due to a groundswell of support among the youngistan.

The arithmetic was starting to make sense now. 1.25 billion voters + strong desire of change = 283 seats. It therefore would not be erroneous to say that the youth vote has been instrumental in creating history. The phenomenon of huge mandates have only been read in books or told by parents. It felt good to have witnessed it – first time, firsthand. It had started to make sense now. The numbers with which he won may have been astounding, yet comprehensible.

As only 3% of the voters had exercised their NOTA option, it went to prove that majority of the urban and rural India were looking for change. They played a decisive role in bringing Modi to the national politics. It is true though nobody, and really nobody (even the BJP themselves) had imagined this number. Modi and his cadre brought in play a new class of politics where caste factor became meaningless. He successfully wiped out caste-based satraps from the Hindi heartland. He even made his impact felt down the South and the North-East. In winning 71 seats in UP and 22 seats in Bihar, which are notorious for Mandal politics, Modi made BSP supremo Mayawati, Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar of JD(U) irrelevant. Unlike their grandparents and parents who practiced old status quos, the youth of today does not identify themselves or their leaders with any caste. They look for change and delivery. They want a steady leader who gives them development and growth.

I feel Modi’s triumph is a direct result of the fact that he defined himself during his campaign with a clear message: that of being a strong leader. Indian youth have long been looking for a strong, Dabaang leader. Modi, for them was a man with an agenda, a leader with a vision. He changed the thinking of the young and therefore rocked the youth vote!

However, after the results were declared one also feels that there is more euphoria in lashing out at the Congress than in electing Narendra Modi to the power. For the first-time voter, it was a revenge against political arrogance which had set in in the governance. Many political pundits rightly concluded that people not only voted for development and growth, but also took revenge against UPA II's mis-governance.

For many this election result is rewarding and for a few doomsayers it is appalling. But the way our country was suffering, we needed a remedy. And no matter how bittersweet this remedy is, it was a necessity. Modi does bring a new face to political leadership. He is a refreshing departure from the markedly apathetic brand of politicians that preceded him. And that is why India continues to celebrate Modi's victory. The various debates on TV channels and the discourse on the streets, all echo the words ‘history’ and ‘hope’.

So, have we entered into Modi era? Only time will tell. Till then, lets applaud the rise of the youth and for hope!

2014 electionBJPNarendra Modi