Right to vote; According to Article 326 of the Constitution of India, the elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of adult suffrage; that is to say, every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than Twenty-one years shall be entitled to vote. But the 61st Amendment in 1988 changed the Age for Right to Vote from 21 years to 18 years. We possess the power to form and remove a government. With General Elections to constitute the seventeenth Lok Sabha in India is due in April or may 2019, Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP) seems to be losing its Midas touch.
With Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, who is an MP from Varanasi, voters seem to be losing faith in him. Such situation arose in Palghar, Maharashtra By polls. BJP’s win in Palghar came with a caveat. Palghar Lok Sabha by polls were scheduled on 28th May 2018 due to the demise of BJP MP Chintaman Wanaga on 30th January 2018.The counting took place on 31st May 2018.The notification was issued by Election Commission of India on 3rd May 2018.
Candidates:
The by-polls election was a faceoff between Shiv Sena and BJP, both the ruling allies. Pre-Poll, both the parties refused to form an alliance. BJP had nominated Rajendra Gavit Dhedya. Gavit was previously a Congress Leader who left Congress and joined BJP recently. Shiv Sena had nominated Srinivas Chintaman Vanga, who is the son of BJP MP Chintman Vanga. Congress fielded Damodar Barku Shingada whereas Bahujan Vikas Aghadi fielded former MP Baliram Jadhav.
The BJP retained the Palghar Lok Sabha seat but with a new candidate which comes as a warning. In 2014, BJP had won this seat with a huge margin (2, 39,520) wherein 2018 the margin was slashed down to 29,572.
Political observers have shown concerns after this win in Palghar. They believe that increasing prices of Petrol, perceived mishandling of farm loan waiver, GST, etc. are the few important reasons because of which people are losing trust in BJP and letting BJP know that they are quite unsatisfied with its governance through the last four years.
Devendra Fadnavis’s Role:
When it comes to the BJP win in Maharashtra’s polls, how could we forget Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who belongs to BJP. More than Gavit vs Wanga, this by-poll was a street fight between Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis. During the campaign, BJP lost its charm and went completely unnoticed; be it Smriti Irani or Yogi Adityanath’s rally. Sena, on the other hand, was hogging all the limelight and attention with its impressive lineup candidates. The architects of Palghar Victory failed to give a befitting reply. It was Fadnavis, who turned the table on Sena and attacked Thackeray for the party’s double standard. It is rumored that Fadnavis created Bahujan Vikas Aghadi party to divide the anti-BJP votes.
BJP won not because of the votes BJP got but because of the anti-BJP votes. Now we have to wait and watch what year 2019 brings us in the name of Ruling Party. Will BJP be able to survive the fumbles it’s facing now? Will Mr. Prime Minister still be able to be the 15th Prime Minister of India? Let’s think before we ink; It could lead us to prosperity or it could bring debt to us!!
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