The General Elections of 2014 have officially gone down as
the biggest democratic exercise globally and the mandate has been an epic one
for India. For the first time since 1984, a national party has the majority to
form the government on its own and based on some indicatives, possibly the
first time after 1972, a national leader selected by the people out of choice rather
than the lack of it.
Yes, the BJP has emerged absolutely dominant across 5 states
and enjoys over 80% votes in 5 others and the credit for this should go down to
the grass root party workers. But for holding over 200 public addresses,
inspiring and infusing enthusiasm in the party workers and building himself as
a force to reckon with; it will be a complete three act dominated by Narendra
Modi.
Leaving the debate whether brand Modi won the election or
was it anything else to the political experts, I am only going to apply basic
marketing principles to the success and place forth a simple perspective.
Give the people what they
want: The very definition of marketing is focussed towards the needs of
people. One factor India has been missing for a long time has been a strong and
decisive central leadership. Possibly Indira Gandhi was the last known exponent
of this trade and it reflected her resounding re-election in 1972; all thanks
to her transformation from the ‘moom ki gudiya’ to the lady behind the victory
in the Bangladesh liberation war.
Beyond elections have been just a series of counter actions
and replacements to previous governments but never based on leadership. Morarji
led coalition in 1977 an outcome of public dissent against the Indira
governance. The re-election of Mrs Gandhi was due to the failure of the Janta
Party. Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 got a massive sympathy wave, VP Singh in 1989, succeeded
on the misdeeds of Rajiv, Chandrashekhar was a stop-gap and Narshimha Rao in
1991 got the benefits of another sympathy wave for Rajiv.
The 13 day Vajpayee government in 1996 failed an absolute
mandate, Deve Gowda and I K Gujral were again stop gap arrangements. Vajpayee
managed a coalition finally in 1999, but it failed to be decisive as it was
always held at ransom by its allies. Manmohan Singh in 2004 was a last minute socially
acceptable alternative and in 2009 there were little or no alternatives.
Narendra Modi in 2014 was a sign of definite leadership put
forth before the Indian electorate. Who will be the PM had a definitive answer for
months leading up to the elections and it was the biggest thing to have worked.
Critics, party members and even media has come out saying that in a record
turnout voting exercise; Modi was instrumental in installing confidence in the
minds of a voter to give up on their inertia and apathy towards the government and
exercise their vote.
A robust product:
As a 3rd term CM of one of India’s most rapidly developing state, Modi
had suitable credentials to back him as a leader with decision making
abilities. Gujarat under Modi was becoming a model state. The biggest
beneficiary of the Sardar Sarovar project, water had now reached desert regions
of Kutch and combined with hydro and solar power projects on the Narmada canal,
Gujarat was now a power surplus state.
From an economic perspective, the swift action for the shift
of the Tata Nano project in Sanand with the record time approvals and land
allocations was a demonstration of the commanding stature of Modi against other
state governments. No one could make such a profound statement by getting the
approval from Tata, the gold standard in Indian industry, for their dream
project.
Modi has gradually developed as a mark of decisive,
progressive and development led governance. This was a much higher product
promise presented to the Indians in a long time.
Power of promotion:
Like most others who have risen through the ranks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh (RSS), Modi has the mass appealing oratory skills that we seek in a leader.
He had been a crowd puller with his well-articulated language and confident
words.
In addition, the BJP left no stone unturned to build a nationwide
campaign across every form of media. Apart from the effective use of social
media, television interviews, radio ads, ground activities, rallies and even
use of holographic at places- it was a complete and through media campaign.
Going places: Addressing
185 rallies in 45 days leading up to the final phase of elections is no mean
feat; it averages to 4 rallies everyday across various parts of the country. To
add to it, Modi never stayed over at any place post his address and made sure
he was back in Gandhinagar every night. What this super human effort achieved
was connecting to the last mile of voters and a gratification of sorts to every
single person that the man has taken the effort to meet me in my town.
Multi- appeal positioning:
Modi was remarkable positioned to appeal to every Indian in some or the
other way to counter the political shortcomings on his resume. A 3rd
term CM with a reputation for global recognition towards good governance was
the solution at hand for a country ridden by corruption and scams. For the
corporate world, he was a morphine shot in the waiting to aid a crawling
economy. His modest backgrounds echoed the sentiments of a commoner while his
rise thought the RSS ranks was an encouragement to his party workers.
If religious fundamentalism was a stumbling block, the development
model was a redeemer. If zero national experience was a flaw, his work under similar
conditions in Gujarat was a strong point. If his age was a spot of concern as
compared to other campaigners, his experience overruled the matters.
In an overall, there can be many more factors which we can
draw; these were some prime in my opinion. The only hope I hold in my mind is for
the faith rested by the voters on this one man leads him to make an incremental
change to the lives of every Indian.
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