Until a few years ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was a persona non grata in the Northeast. But today, it is a party that has managed to leave a strong impression on the region, winning elections consistently.
In these 2023 Assembly elections, the BJP managed to retain Tripura and Nagaland and it may assume power in Meghalaya after allying with a regional party.
For a party that is considered to pander to the majority Hindus in the country and marginalise minorities, its phenomenal performance in recent years in a region dominated by Christians and tribals is noteworthy.
It won Assam in 2016, Manipur in 2017, Tripura in 2018, Arunachal Pradesh in 2019, and retained Assam in 2021.
Here are some factors which have swung the fortunes in the saffron party's favour.
BJP put its shoulder under the wheels
After Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014, the BJP began its work of conquering the Northeast. Even though Atal Bihar Vajpayee, a former prime minister had set up a dedicated ministry for the development of the region, it was Modi who took it forward. He granted copious funds to the region to woo the voters. Such endeavours warmed the people to the saffron party.
One man’s loss in another's gain
The incumbent chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma was a Congressman. In 2015, he bid good riddance to the grand old party as he was allegedly humiliated by Rahul Gandhi. After he stitched a new relation with the saffron party, its think-think gave him the party reins, formed what’s called North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) in order to have a foot in the door. The efforts paid off as Sarma was successful in influencing regional parties to work with the national party and drive home the point: ‘Delhi Door Nahi Hai’.
The defections of N Biren Singh, the incumbent chief minister of Manipur and Pema Kandu, the incumbent CM of Arunachal Pradesh from the Congress to the BJP also augured well for the party.
RSS strikes a rapport with the tribals
The Rashtreeya SwayamSevak Sangh (RSS) has been working with the tribals of the region for decades. Through its outreach, it aimed to communicate to the tribals its support for the indigenous culture. In this context, it is pertinent to note that Ram Madhav has rendered yeoman service, as he began his work, much before Sarma’s entry.
Keeping the controversial beef issue at bay!
The issue of cow and its holiness has always swerved political fortunes in the BJP’s favour. However, in the Northeast, where Christians abound, the party redesigned its strategies, knowing full well that vexing them would only have an antithetical result.
It realised that the sensitive issue may find resonance with Hindus in Tripura and Assam, but not in states like Nagaland, Meghalaya, inter alia. So, the BJP decided to remain docile on it. To make its move more felt, its Meghalaya chief Ernest Mawrie openly gave a statement that the BJP doesn’t issue any restrictions on eating beef as beef-eating is a part of the state’s cuisine.
He said, “In BJP, there is no problem. The BJP does not think of any caste, creed, or religion. We can have anything we want. It is our food habit. Why should a political party have a problem with it?" Mawrie was quoted by India Today.
The cow issue did work out in states like Uttar Pradesh, prompting AIMIM chief Asaddudin Owaisi to say, "Cow is mummy in UP and yummy in the North East:".
But a carefully calibrated move in the Northeast has paid the BJP rich dividends.
Amit Shah’s early recognition of Northeast’s importance
Another factor that can’t be overlooked is how Amit Shah, when he took over as the party chief, had said that the Northeast was very important. For this purpose, the party worked meticulously and reaped rich political dividends in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The party will now look to build on the gains further as it readies itself for 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
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