Ab Ki Baar Yogi, Teen Sau Paar
I may be sticking my neck out, but let me say it plainly: I would not be surprised if Yogi Adityanath’s BJP crosses 300 seats in Uttar Pradesh. No, the BJP is not saying this. I am. Three hundred in a House of 403 is an extravagant number. Which is precisely why I find it interesting. Indian elections have a wicked sense of humour. They have repeatedly made fools of people who confuse the noise of television studios with the mood of the voter. And I suspect the opposition is making that mistake again. Rahul Gandhi has become wonderfully good at being Rahul Gandhi. He marches, speaks, waves, attacks, makes headlines and gives television anchors something to discuss for several days. His supporters see a transformed Rahul; his critics see the old Rahul with better lighting. But there is a small difficulty: Making news is not the same as making votes. The voter in Uttar Pradesh does not spend his day discussing Rahul Gandhi. He has a household to run, a ration to collect, electricity to p...
