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Editorial

Vote your fate

With election season here, as Himachal has hit the polls and Gujarat is scheduled to file its decision in the next month, the Congress came back with a sharp response in a bypoll held at Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, where it emerged victorious, defeating the BJP by 14,000 votes. In 2013, the election had been won by the Congress by a margin of 10,970 votes. With an increase in its vote share, the Congress candidate Nilanshi Chaturvedi defeated his nearest rival Shankar Dayal Tripathi by 14,133 votes, in the polls which were held on November 9. Madhya Pradesh still stands as a stronghold of the lotus party and this result provided some respite to the Congress who are looking to make serious inroads prior to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Many say this verdict was a direct reflection of people's anxiety regarding demonetisation and GST which has caused more worry that wonder. The Congress basking in its glory said that "winds of change" are now blowing, as the BJP which has established its strength across majority states in the country could not etch its mark in the Chitrakoot bypoll. However, many would say that the Congress's celebrations are premature, as its fate in the rest of the country is still in severe jeopardy. Dhumal, the BJP chief minister candidate for Himachal Pradesh, looks set to assuming the chair removing erstwhile Virbhadra Singh from the Congress.

In Gujarat too, despite the BJP facing strong anti-incumbency, analyses so far show them winning the state despite a drop in the margin of their vote share. The Congress that has long held on to the reins of the nation or at least maintained a strong stand as the Opposition has been left unnerved since Narendra Modi assumed office. A series of corruption scandals, insufficient policymaking and inept leader at the forefront has plagued the Congress and despite the Chitrakoot victory they still seem to be several steps behind from assuming office at the Centre. Regardless of their insufficiency, the general public's faith in the Modi government has been rattled post demonetisation, where harrowed citizens had to take to the streets to acquire money that was rightfully theirs. BJP leaders though, still remain unnerved in their faith towards their Prime Minister and his dedicated fan following across the country.

The Congress is relying largely on anti-BJP sentiments to secure their place. But, more has to be done on their own credit if they wish to make a palpable difference in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls that would determine the future of our country for the next five years. Without a powerful opposition tackling the BJP, politics at the Centre would lose its anticipatory charm.


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