(This article first appeared on DailyO)
The campaign for the 2019 General Election is in full swing.
It is the time when political leaders have hit poll trails, party offices are
buzzing, and the news is full of who said what, where and when. In this milieu,
it is easy to forget the larger picture — that the 2019 election is not a
battle of seats or candidates or sops or data.
It is a battle of narratives and ideas.
Modi is the agenda
When Narendra Modi took the Prime Minister’s seat five years
ago, the nation had voted decidedly against corruption and for a development
model. In 2019, to my mind, Modi has come to represent a decisive, far-sighted
and clean government that is willing to take chances for long-term goals and
refuses to give in to pressure tactics.
As the country gets ready to vote, Modi himself has become
the agenda.