With the formation of the new Government, the dust has finally settled on a particularly contentious Election. BJP supporters are ruing the fact that their party did not get a majority on its own, while for the India bloc it was a case of so near yet so far. Be that as it may, a coalition government led by the BJP has taken oath, which is not a bad thing, as it may soften the hard edges of the ideologydriven BJP. Also, coalition dharma may give saner elements in the ruling coalition an excuse for not following an extreme agenda. Before the 2024 elections recede in memory, the ruling party should introspect as to why, despite having an immensely popular leader at its helm, and almost unlimited resources at its disposal, it could not cross the halfway mark?

It was not for want of trying; all tricks, ethical and unethical, were tried, but a ragtag opposition took the fight to the final overs. The usual breast beating followed; party loyalists put the blame for BJP’s reduced performance on alleged dark machinations by American billionaire George Soros, caste and minority consolidation and even betrayal of Sanatana Dharma by Hindus, and finally, ingrates, that is us, on not deserving a Prime Minister like Narendra Modi. Yet, the sooner reality is acknowledged the better it is; quite obviously, some policies and actions of the earlier government did not find traction with many voters; an obvious solution for the new Government could be to identify such policies and actions, and ensure their modification. On the other hand, the India bloc would do well to realise that it cannot rely only on missteps of the Government to get an electoral majority, it also needs to have an appealing roadmap for governance.

Also, the gloom in the BJP camp should not unnecessarily enthuse the India bloc, because this despondency is a consequence of unfulfilled expectations ~ the BJP with 239 seats is only slightly short of a majority. Any attempt by the Opposition to destabilise the NDA Government by covert means may prove unsuccessful or counterproductive, or both. In the interest of democracy, BJP should also desist from its trademark manoeuvres of breaking parties by enticing legislators. All said, it is time for Parliamentarians to get down to the difficult task of governance, in which the Opposition has an equal stake. The second stint (2009 ~........

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