There are many things in common between the presidential elections in the United States and the Lok Sabha elections held in India this year. Many times it seemed that the same issues dominated the presidential elections as the Lok Sabha elections in India. Not only were there issues of inflation, unemployment and security, but issues of infiltration, communalism and Dalits were also on the lips of people with different names. However, the ruling NDA again managed to form the government in the Lok Sabha elections. But the ruling BJP party could not achieve the expected success. But just as Donald Trump, who ended his political career after losing the election in 2020, returned in 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi can definitely take inspiration from him for his fourth term. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may carefully consider these five themes of Donald Trump’s election campaign in the US presidential election. It is certain that this can become the soul of his political career.
1- Importance of minority votes
Muslim support for Trump in the US presidential election is believed to have been one of the reasons for the Democratic Party’s defeat. Because Muslims were angry with US foreign policy in the Israel-Palestine war. Muslims wanted the Biden administration to withdraw its support for Israel. Trump’s declaration from the beginning that he would stop this war as soon as he was president worked. Muslim American voters said they once voted for the Democratic Party, but now they have lost confidence. He maintained that Democrats have no plan to bring peace to the Middle East and is confident that Trump will do better.
This is a lesson for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India, how one can win Muslim votes even when talking about Hindu interests. Without the support of minorities, the dream of ruling all of India can never be realized. The clear swing of Muslim votes against the BJP has been one of the main reasons for the defeat of the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Many Lok Sabha constituencies saw the BJP leader having to face defeat due to votes cast in a single area. The candidate who won in all the counting areas lost the Muslim area as soon as the counting began. The reason was that Muslim voters openly voted against the BJP. Like Trump, the BJP can assure Indian Muslims that there has been all-round development of Muslims under the BJP government as compared to the Congress. They were never discriminated against in government schemes and schemes such as government jobs, education and health.
2- There may be a large-scale return again
This victory for Trump is historic because it is only the second time in American history that a president returns to the White House after losing an election. In 2020, when Donald Trump lost the election to Joe Biden, it seemed that his political career was over. There is also a section in India that believes that this is Prime Minister Modi’s last political term. Nor does anyone talk about a fourth term nor does anyone have hope. But after this victory of Trump, the debate on Prime Minister Modi’s fourth term began in the BJP. Bharatiya Janata Party IT cell chief Amit Malviya, comparing the age of Prime Minister Modi and Donald Trump, wrote on Facebook that by 2029, PM Modi’s age will be 78 years. Which clearly means that PM Modi can be groomed for a fourth term. After losing the elections, there were indications that Trump’s dominance in the Republican Party will continue in the 2022 midterm elections. After winning the Haryana Assembly elections, Narendra Modi is seen returning to form one more time. If the BJP wins the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, then its claim for 2029 will definitely be strong.
3- Age is just a number
Former President Trump is returning to the White House as a man who is about to turn 78 years old. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is only 74 years old. This means that in the next general elections, Prime Minister Modi will be 78 years old. Four years ago, when Donald Trump looked like a defeated person, due to his increasing age, people did not believe that Trump would come back like this. In India too, due to his failure to achieve the expected success in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, there is now speculation that Prime Minister Modi will not be able to complete his third term. But in the United States, the way Trump defied his advanced age after the election defeat, by being active first in the party and then among the American people, has shown that age is just a number. Similarly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi can also think about his fourth term.
Recently, the BJP has distributed many tickets to the family members of the Haryana Assembly election leaders. While just a few days ago, the party’s strategy was firmly opposed to dynasty politics and nepotism. Therefore, it is to be expected that very soon the concept of Margdarshak Mandal will also become obsolete in the party. Modi still has plenty of time to return to an absolute majority like Trump.
4- Opponents within the party can once again become unconditional supporters.
After failing to achieve the expected success in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s position has also weakened among the BJP and its allies. After the 2024 defeat, many Sangh leaders made statements that directly targeted Prime Minister Modi. Although the clarification came later, it cannot be denied that the situation has changed after the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, something else happened to Trump in the United States because he lost the elections. If Narendra Modi had failed to form his government in India, then it is possible that his condition would have been similar to what happened to Donald Trump. But after the US midterm elections, Trump’s position grew stronger. Kevin McCarthy, representative for California and leader of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the US Parliament, was one of those who raised the alarm against him as soon as he lost the elections. Immediately after the attack on the US Parliament on January 6, McCarthy had said that Trump was “responsible for the violence” of the mob. Not only this, but he also suggested that the US Parliament should formally condemn Trump for his behaviour. But McCarthy later approached former President Trump about working together and strongly supported him.
5th core voters can join again
The reason behind Donald Trump’s victory was the unity of his core voters. In stark contrast to the support Trump had received in the 2016 election, he had suffered a dent in the 2020 election. But Donald Trump had united his core 2024 voters by continually raising the issue of jobs for Americans due to the problem of infiltrators and bad immigration policies. Similarly, just as Hindus in India united and voted for Narendra Modi in 2014, Narendra Modi can unite them. Continuous efforts are also being made in this regard. Continuous efforts are being made to ensure that the votes of Dalits, tribals and backward classes go only to the BJP. The reason behind the Haryana Assembly victory is believed to be that the BJP also got the votes of Dalits and Backward Classes. It is to be hoped that by 2029, the BJP’s efforts to unite Hindus will be fruitful.
