The great Greek philosopher Socrates had once said, ‘Very few people know that they know less’.
In the realm of politics, too, this possibility lies with the mind's failure to accept its vincibility.
Vincible ignorance stems from focusing only on strengths, while deliberately choosing to overlook one’s weaknesses.
In the recently-concluded Assembly Polls, the INDIA bloc won 10 out of the 13 seats across seven states and 13 ACs where polls were held on July 10. The results of which were declared on July 13.
The outcome of the by-polls narrates a similar ordeal as that of the Lok Sabha Polls 2024.
First, the Bharatiya Janata Party is losing its hold on the ground.
Second, the opportunism of defectors has met with strong resistance from the masses.
Third, the Opposition is curtailing the overreach of the saffron party.
Out of every other state, Himachal Pradesh’s result came as a shock, the Grand Old Party won two out of three assembly seats that went to the polls. The Congress government in the state was teetering on the brink in February. However, with by-poll results, the Congress has gained its previous tally of 40 out of the 68 seats.
All three seats fell vacant because the MLAs switched to the BJP.
In a similar vein, a defector in Uttarakhand was taught a lesson. The Congress retained the Badrinath seat.
The sitting MLA from the Badrinath, Rajendra Singh Bhandari had defected to the ruling BJP. Owing to this the seat fell vacant.
Bhandari was defeated by Congress’s Lakhapat Singh Butola.
Punjab’s defector from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP tasted defeat. He, too, had defected to the BJP in the Jalandhar West assembly seat.
AAP’s Mohinder Bhagat defeated BJP's Sheetal Angural.
Thus, people gave a befitting reply to the defector and those handling the mechanism of changing turfs.
However, in Madhya Pradesh, a defector managed to gain ground. Kamlesh Pratap Shah, who had switched sides with the BJP, won the contest against his former party.
In Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the Opposition bloc sustained its supremacy, thereby asserting that tables could turn in the political sphere.
While the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won in Tamil Nadu’s Vikravandi seat. In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress wrested three seats from the BJP, in Raiganj, Ranaghat Dakshin and Bagda.
Although in all three seats, MLAs of the saffron party had switched sides to the TMC, which is the ruling party in the state, the idea of Opposition gaining momentum in today’s Indian politics resonated in the by-polls too. The TMC also retained the Maniktala seat.
In a democratic country, people decide the fate of the legislators. They are the real 'kingmakers'.
Hence, not connecting with the masses, supporting opportunistic defections. And, most importantly, not looking at one's weaknesses and believing that one will always be at the helm of the power structure will only lead to further downfalls.
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