It is never easy or safe to read the mood of this huge, diverse nation—particularly in the midst of a national election that is well spread out, this one running for over 40 days and seven phases.

With that caveat, it must still be said that there is more than a whiff of distaste beginning to gather around the BJP, even if light to moderate in intensity at best, depending on who is making the analysis.

At this stage, though, with two phases of the election behind us, it is difficult to say whether and how this sentiment may build, or whether the pattern can grow into a gathering storm that blows off the possibility of Narendra Modi getting a straight third term.

The sentiment, if it is to swell, will have to stand against the overwhelming money power behind the BJP campaign, and its consequent reach and impact.

The BJP’s visibly heavy spends do border on vulgar, the Rs 8,250 crore it got from the (now declared illegal) electoral bonds scheme deployed to overwhelm the electorate. Yet this heavily slanted money power can also harm the BJP itself, because while it enables unparalleled reach on the one hand, it also serves to highlight the party’s negatives on the other—not least its loud, overbearing, cocky persona that may not help when seeking votes.

The BJP has the largest share of private helicopter bookings for its leaders, not counting the prime minister’s travel itineraries. The party has outspent the Congress 4:1 on Google search ads and 3:1 on Facebook ads, according to Reuters. It deploys these ads as part of a psychological warfare to plug its superficial narrative, which is that the BJP will improve its tally from the 303 seats of 2019 to 400-plus.

It is difficult to see how this........

© National Herald