Vol: 27 | No. 5 | May 2019| R20 www.opinionexpress.in A MONTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE Cover Story POLL POSITION Midway through India’s electoral Mahabharat, the battle is evenly poised Thank You BIPL %DODML,QIUD3URMHFWV/LPLWHG www.balaji.co.in www.dighiport.in editorial Modi factor holds the key for RNI UP–ENG 70032/92, Volume 27, No 5 EDITOR Prashant Tewari NDA II to make a comeback? ASSOCiate EDITOR ove him, hate him but people will keep his name on the board. Narendra Dr Rahul Misra Modi is the focal point of discussion either ways for the ongoing general elec- POLITICAL EDITOR tions in India. There is an extreme sharp division in the voters in favour or Prakhar Misra L against Narendra Modi in the entire country. News channels, news papers, social BUREAU CHIEF Anshuman Dogra (DELHI), Diwakar Shetty media reflects vertical division in the society. India was never more divided on (MUMBAI), Sidhartha Sharma (KOLKATA), ideological ground than it is today for the GE 2019. Rahul Gandhi led Congress is Lakshmi Devi (BANGALORE ) DIvyash Bajpai slightly better placed than in 2014, with state governments in (USA), KAPIL DUDAKIA (UNITED KINGDOM) Rajiv Agnihotri (MAURITIUS), Romil Raj M.P., Rajasthan and Chattisgarh under his belt – Congress Bhagat (DUBAI), Herman Silochan (CANADA), is poised for substantive gains. But with the reverses in the Dr Shiv Kumar (AUS/NZ), Nithya Ramesh recently concluded state elections, BJP has tighten its belt in (Fashion & Entertainment ) going ahead to the planning of the GE 2019. Narendra Modi CONTENT partner has rebranded himself round the garb of nationalism post The Pioneer Pratham Pravakta Pulwama attack and subsequent Balakot Air strike. LegaL AdviSORS After four phases, Modi’s change in campaign tactic to say Vishnu Sharma Adv the BJP win is certain will give the BJP the winner’s momen- Vijai Krishna Adv tum. Again losing an opportunity, Rahul Gandhi has not given AdvertiSEMENT / MARKETING DIRECTOR a convincing feel that the job of dethroning Modi has been almost achieved. So what Diwakar Shetty is 2019 all about? Till May 23 proves us all right, or wrong – I would argue there is a Gopal Chopra mild Modi wave in the country. It is an under- current to give him another chance, ADMINIStrative DIRECTOR Amit Pandey all things considered. It does not sound as strong as 2014 but BJP has a distinguish Bal Mukund Gaur advantage over its rivals in running a well oiled campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Corporate COMMUNICation / PR Modi’s BJP is flush with cash, giving his bloc a massive advantage over the main op- Sanjay Mendiratta position Congress party as he seeks to win a second term in India’s general election. M M Upadhaya But current and former BJP supporters, opposition politicians, businessmen and ac- GRAPHICS & DESIGN Writeword Commuications (Studio 8) tivists interviewed say Modi has an unprecedented advantage, thanks to its financial muscle and structure party cadre. The regional power house in Telengana, AP, WB Photographer Ratan Shukla and TN are likely to play a decisive role in the formation of the next government. We OVERSEAS MARKETING may revert to the GE 2004 & 2009 like situation where in the southern parties played OEMCL Ltd (Mauritius), OEHCL ltd (DUBAI) dominant role in the formation of the government at the centre. AdvertiSEMENT / CIRCULation: The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre may cross the mag- Delhi / NCR - Hemant Sharma: D 239 ic threshold of 272 mark in the 543-seat Lok Sabha. According to the OPINION Defence Colony New Delhi 110024 INDIA Tel – 011 49060350 EXPRESS survey, the NDA may win 280-290 seats, the Congress-led UPA - 111, Mumbai - Vijay Kalantri – Advisor: New Others - 144. The BJP, according to the poll, will come down from the 282 seats ExcelsIor BUILDING, 6tH Floor, A.K. NAYAK it had won in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections but will increase its vote share from MARG, Fort, MUMBAI - 400001 (INDIA). 31.34 percent to 36 per cent. The Congress will increase its seats tally from the 44 Phone: 91 - 22 - 22019265 / 22019160 it won in 2014 to 85-90 seats; its vote share will go from 19.52% to near 27% in the FAX : 91-22- 22019764 / 22019760 national elections. The others are predicted to get 125 seats with a 31% vote share The magazine is published and printed by Rajiv Agnihotri for Opinion Express Communications in the Lok Sabha. & Entertainments Pvt Ltd, from Kumpu Graphic Second most important factor is the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Press 2 Ashok Nagar, Lucknow & printed at Modi to the run up of General Elections. He is scoring over 51% approval rating in Kumpu Graphic Press 2 Ashok Nagar, Lucknow – 226001 Tele : 91-522-4060880 & their various surveys conducted by several domestic and overseas agencies. Modi is Nikhil Offset An ISO 9001 : 2008 Certified perceived as the strong leader capable of defending the country from external and Company 223, DSIDC Complex, Okhla Industrial internal aggression. Modi’s pro poor schemes are likely to yield results in the rural Area Phase - I, New Delhi - 110020 Tele : 91- area where BJP is traditionally weak. 26812316, 26810097, 26810458, FAX:91 45792362 E-Mail : [email protected], Third, BJP is in fierce fight in the areas where it has no stakes prior to 2014. [email protected] Today it is a force in West Bengal, North East, Odisha and it is desperately trying Registered Office: OPINION EXPRESS HOUSE to open account in Kerala, Telengana. It is largely the hard work of Amit Shah to 24-A Clyde Road, Lucknow-226001 (India) Phone: 91-522-4060880 create a fighting base in the states where BJP is likely to gain substantial seats. Fax: 91-522-2208242 # 24x7 The last five years, RSS has expanded its cadre across India with a friendly mobility +91 9984437000 government in centre. The disciplined RSS cadre is likely to play a pivotal role in email: [email protected] securing an edge for BJP in the general elections. All disputes are subject to be under jurisdiction of courts in Delhi. We are keeping our figure crossed till 23 May 2019 and the entire globe is look- All content published may be subject to copyright, ing to India for settling down with the next government in the month of May 2019. seek written permission to re-produce. Opinion May the best man win? Express is trade mark brand of Opinion Express —Prashant Tewari , E d i t o r - i n - C h i e f Communications & Entertainment Private Limited. OPINIon EXPRESS MAY 2019 3 A Monthly News Magazine MAY 2019 COVer StorY PITCHED BATTLE FROM CAKEWALK TO A REAL TIME CONTEST: INDIA’S 2019 GENERAL ELECTION P 5-15 CLOSE The ‘Art’ 16 SHAVE ! 34 46 man rolls on WHY Varun India’s 2019 Gandhi? elections: What 24 you need to know Why the 2019 28 election may be the most 38 crucial in BREXIT India’s history BLUES EQ Factor State of emotional 42 intelligence in the contemporary society 4 MAY 2019 OPINIon EXPRESS Cover story PITCHED BATTLE FROM CAKEWALK TO A REAL TIME CONTEST: INDIA’S 2019 GENERAL ELECTION Milan Vaishnav lectoral outcomes are noto- riously difficult to predict in India’s fragmented, hyper- competitive democracy. But Eone need not go out on a limb to declare that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Par- ty (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be the clear favorite if the election were held today. Following the BJP’s decisive 2014 mandate, many an- alysts confidently proclaimed that Modi would remain in power for at least two, if not three, terms. Opinion polls reveal that Modi re- mains highly popular after five years in office, and the BJP has managed to me- thodically expand its national footprint in numerous state elections since 2014. The opposition, comprised of the once- dominant Indian National Congress and a plethora of regional parties, has struggled to counter the BJP onslaught. Yet the election’s clear front-runner is far from invulnerable, despite anticipa- tion of a BJP cakewalk in 2019. Although the intricacies of the up- coming race—such as the selection of candidates and the rhetoric of cam- paigns—remain unknown one year out, underlying structural conditions sug- election will hinge largely on its abil- New Delhi. Although the UPA oversaw gest far rockier terrain may lie ahead. In ity to address these potential vulner- record economic growth during its first particular, four crucial objectives keep abilities and the opposition’s ability to term, its second term was markedly less BJP strategists up at night: expanding exploit them. To understand the BJP’s positive, as a slowing economy, doubts beyond regional strongholds, recruit- position today, one must recall how un- about its leadership, and an endless ing new—and retaining old—coalition usual India’s 2014 election results were. parade of corruption scandals badly partners, withstanding a disappointing Between 2004 and 2014, the Congress dented the Congress-led alliance’s cred- economic performance, and contending Party and its allies (known collectively ibility. with fluctuations in voter mobilization. as the United Progressive Alliance, or INDIA ELECTS 2019: In an era The party’s performance in the 2019 UPA) ran the central government in of fractured political mandates in New OPINIon EXPRESS MAY 2019 5 Delhi, the Modi-led BJP achieved what many analysts believed was unthinkable: it won a clear, single-party majority in the lower house of the Indian parliament (the Lok Sabha) by capturing 282 of 543 seats (see figure 1). Its political allies—members of the BJP-led Na- tional Democratic Alliance (NDA)—netted an- other fifty-three seats.