<p>The charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the utility of Hindutva as ideological glue would not be sufficient for the Bharatiya Janata Party to win elections, RSS-mouthpiece Organiser has said in a piece analysing the BJP’s defeat in the recently-concluded Karnataka elections. </p>.<p>“Without strong leadership and effective delivery at the regional level, Prime Minister Modi’s charisma and Hindutva as an ideological glue would not be sufficient. The positive factors, ideology and leadership, are genuine assets for the BJP when the State-level governance is operational,” the editorial, published on May 23, read. </p>.<p>In its advice to the BJP ahead of an election year, the Organiser said that while extrapolating the Karnataka results to 2024 general elections is a “daring proposition”, the win has nevertheless boosted the morale of the Opposition parties. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/modi-s-global-brand-building-after-governance-shortfall-1222039.html" target="_blank">Modi’s global brand building after governance shortfall</a></strong></p>.<p>Corruption charges against the state government were a key factor, the editorial said, and Modi’s popularity was no match to the anti-incumbency among voters. “First time since Prime Minister Modi took the reins at the Centre, the BJP had to defend the corruption charges in an assembly election… Anti-incumbency against the sitting Ministers should be a concerning factor for the BJP,” the editorial said. </p>.<p>Over 14 ministers of the Bommai government, including bigwigs like V Somanna, Dr K Sudhakar, B Sriramulu, Govind Karjol, Murugesh Nirani, JC Madhuswamy, BC Patil, MTB Nagaraj, KC Narayana Gowda, and BC Nagesh are among those that lost the elections. </p>.<p>In its editorial, the Organiser also said that a localised campaign worked for the Congress. “Congress tends to gain when the role of national-level leadership is minimal and the election campaign is kept at the local level. The family-run party tried to present a unified face at the State level and garnered five per cent additional votes compared to the 2018 elections,” the editorial said. </p>.<p>In a subsequent editorial, the Organiser has praised PM Modi and the BJP government’s achievements in the nine years it has been in power. “In 2014, most of the people in Bharat had lost faith in the delivery of democracy. Prime Minister Modi and his Government responded positively to those aspirations with ambitious targets and delivered on many fronts,” read the other editorial, listing areas where Modi delivered – culture, health, infrastructure, defence and national security.</p>.<p>The editorial hailed the new Parliament, calling it the “new temple of Democracy”, and said that the structure will connect us to “ancient ideas and principles of statecraft based on Dharmic values”. RSS is the ideological fount of the BJP; a lot of members of the party as well as those in the government have either worked closely with the RSS or have been inspired by the saffron outfit’s ideals. </p>
<p>The charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the utility of Hindutva as ideological glue would not be sufficient for the Bharatiya Janata Party to win elections, RSS-mouthpiece Organiser has said in a piece analysing the BJP’s defeat in the recently-concluded Karnataka elections. </p>.<p>“Without strong leadership and effective delivery at the regional level, Prime Minister Modi’s charisma and Hindutva as an ideological glue would not be sufficient. The positive factors, ideology and leadership, are genuine assets for the BJP when the State-level governance is operational,” the editorial, published on May 23, read. </p>.<p>In its advice to the BJP ahead of an election year, the Organiser said that while extrapolating the Karnataka results to 2024 general elections is a “daring proposition”, the win has nevertheless boosted the morale of the Opposition parties. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/modi-s-global-brand-building-after-governance-shortfall-1222039.html" target="_blank">Modi’s global brand building after governance shortfall</a></strong></p>.<p>Corruption charges against the state government were a key factor, the editorial said, and Modi’s popularity was no match to the anti-incumbency among voters. “First time since Prime Minister Modi took the reins at the Centre, the BJP had to defend the corruption charges in an assembly election… Anti-incumbency against the sitting Ministers should be a concerning factor for the BJP,” the editorial said. </p>.<p>Over 14 ministers of the Bommai government, including bigwigs like V Somanna, Dr K Sudhakar, B Sriramulu, Govind Karjol, Murugesh Nirani, JC Madhuswamy, BC Patil, MTB Nagaraj, KC Narayana Gowda, and BC Nagesh are among those that lost the elections. </p>.<p>In its editorial, the Organiser also said that a localised campaign worked for the Congress. “Congress tends to gain when the role of national-level leadership is minimal and the election campaign is kept at the local level. The family-run party tried to present a unified face at the State level and garnered five per cent additional votes compared to the 2018 elections,” the editorial said. </p>.<p>In a subsequent editorial, the Organiser has praised PM Modi and the BJP government’s achievements in the nine years it has been in power. “In 2014, most of the people in Bharat had lost faith in the delivery of democracy. Prime Minister Modi and his Government responded positively to those aspirations with ambitious targets and delivered on many fronts,” read the other editorial, listing areas where Modi delivered – culture, health, infrastructure, defence and national security.</p>.<p>The editorial hailed the new Parliament, calling it the “new temple of Democracy”, and said that the structure will connect us to “ancient ideas and principles of statecraft based on Dharmic values”. RSS is the ideological fount of the BJP; a lot of members of the party as well as those in the government have either worked closely with the RSS or have been inspired by the saffron outfit’s ideals. </p>