BJP won’t leave its ‘Hindutva politics’ even after poll setback: PK.

Prashant Kishor on why BJP’s poll setback not an end to Hindutva politics.

Iindia Today News Desk | New Delhi  | June 8, 2024:: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor has said that the BJP will not abandon its Hindutva politics despite its lower than expected outcome in the Lok Sabha elections.

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Kishor emphasised that he had previously predicted that the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya would not secure additional votes for the BJP.

“I have said that I have made mistakes in my assessment, but I was the first one who had said in January that no incremental vote from the Ram Mandir would go to the BJP. But that doesn’t mean Hindutva is over,” he said.

The BJP, which entered the Lok Sabha elections with a ‘400-paar’ aim for its coalition bloc NDA, managed to win 240 seats on its own. Its NDA allies pushed the coalition’s total to 293 seats, thus managing to retain majority.

However, the BJP suffered shocking setbacks in the Hindu heartland state of Uttar Pradesh, where the party, along with its NDA allies, could manage only 36 seats out of 80. The BJP even lost the election on Faizabad seat, where the Ram Mandir is located.

Likening Hindutva politics to coffee, Prashant Kishor said, “Hindutva, which is the core of the BJP, is like coffee to them. The froth has diminished somewhat in this election, but it doesn’t mean the BJP will abandon Hindutva.”

He further predicted that Hindutva politics would persist with some “degrees of tinkering”.

Reflecting on the BJP’s history, Prashant Kishor noted the party continued its Hindutva politics even after losing power in the 2004 elections under then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“If they didn’t abandon it after the defeat in 2004, why would they abandon it now?” he said.

Read also: “Hindutva Politics Not Rejected”: Tamil Nadu BJP Chief On Big Poll Defeat (NDTV)
Read also: Why BJP’s Hindutva appeal can’t cross the Dravidian wall (Indian Express)

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VIEWS EXPRESPPED IN ABOVE REPORTS & VIDEO ARE INDIVIDUAL.

Courtesy: India Today, NDTV & Indian Express.