The elections in India just concluded and the results bet all expectations. Polling pundits had predicted a severely fractured mandate with the leading parties - The Congress Party led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) getting almost equal number of seats. The exit polls had predicted that the Third Front and Fourth Front, comprising of self-serving regional parties, would have a greater sway in forming the next government and would be king-makers. But the electorate made the poll pundits bite the dirt once again, as in 2004.

The UPA gave a very strong performance with 262 seats, just 10 short of a majority of 272 needed to form the government. The Third Front - dominated by the Left wing and communist parties - and the Fourth Front - of regional parties in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were relegated to insignificant numbers. The NDA, on the other hand, could not accomplish its mission of unseating the UPA in this elections.

The BJP is now in an introspection mode. It should realise that it had no chances of forming the government in the first place. BJP rode to power in 1997 and 1998 due to the Vajpayee wave. The whole BJP machinery was synchronised and moving in one direction. BJP had a vision for India. There were tall leaders in the party - Vajpayee, Advani, Pramod Mahajan, Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj. Their leaders were honest and clean and educated. The urban population identified with these leaders and voted largely in favor of the BJP.

In 1998, BJP had good relations with the RSS. While the slick urban leaders galvanised the urban voters, the identification of RSS with BJP consolidated its rural vote. Then was also the honeymoon period of the Hindutva movement, which struck a deep chord in certain sections of the Hindu community who came out in numbers to campaign for the BJP.

1998 was also the birth year of coalition politics. The various regional parties part of the NDA were getting their first taste of national politics. It was probably easier then, than now, to get those parties together in a coalition. In the past ten years, politics has evolved and so have the political agendas. The parties have learnt how to bargain and get an unfair share of power.

Moreover, the Congress did not have a leader then. Sonia Gandhi had just entered politics and grabbed the helms of the Congress Party ruined by Sitaram Kesari. She did not know how to speak Hindi and it was easy to convince voters that she was an outsider. The Congress Party had only Sonia Gandhi to project as the Prime Ministerial candidate. In the past ten years, things have changed. Sonia Gandhi is considered more of an Indian than some of the Indian born people themselves. She is well respected and is admired within the Indian public. BJP's victory ten years ago was because Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the only tall leader in national politics then. BJP didnt have that luxury in 2009.

BJP also faltered on several issues in this poll campaign. They couldnt make enough alliances. They projected L.K. Advani as the leader, who despite being an intelligent and worthy politician, had the age factor against him. The BJP also failed in acting like a united party. Its machinery was in shambles and there were internal squabbles. Its campaign was lacklustre and it failed to raise the quality of the debate. BJP was not driving the debate; infact there was no debate at all in this elections.
It failed to guage the impact of several regional parties and the influence of the Congress at the grassroots level. BJP also failed to stem the vote loss from previously saffron states like Rajasthan and states like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. The party will need to focus on these states for 2013.

In short, 2009 was a completely different battleground than 1998. And so will be 2013. Next time, the number of allies are going to decrease. BJP may have to go on its own, and it is better to assume that while planning for 2013. BJP needs a coherant strategy for 2013 which shouldnt be based solely on giving tickets to the right candidates. The party needs to go in an entire new direction. Here are some ways the party might think of evolving now:

1) Abandon the Babri Masjid issue. It has lost all relevance now. Do not talk about it at all.
2) Form a shadow cabinet and wherever required, start a logical debate on policy issues. Make the people realise that BJP stands for policy and it can provide better policies than the Congress.
3) Do not raise arguments for argument's sake. Support the government wherever required and be vocal about it. Let the people know that BJP stands for good governance and better politics. People seem to have realised that the Indian Opposition Parties oppose for the sake of opposition. This does not fit into what we hold ideal in our day-to-day lives. This contrast makes the opposition parties look even more detestable. Support good policies and attack the wrong policies with civility. Indian politics will also gain a new direction that way.
5) Make the CMs of the BJP-ruled states push the development plank like never before. Modi is prefered as a leader in Gujarat because of his development initiatives. Make all the other Chief Ministers revolutionise their own states.
6) Use new means of technology to reach a wider audience. Do it right from Day 1 and not 3 months before the elections. Do not try to just reach the Indian audience but the audience aborad as well.
7) Find new means to attract sections of the Indian public. Organise events targeted towards vote banks. Attract Muslims, media persons, highly skilled graduates, scientists and professionals, farmers and daily wage workers into the party fold. Only then would the organisation be strengthened.
8) Find an acceptable leader. In an article written in 2004, I had predicted Sushma Swaraj as the leader after Lal Krishna Advani. That is now coming true. Sushma Swaraj is best suited for this role, given the deeply polarising nature of Narendra Modi.

Politics need not be dirty and vile and wily. A party can only achieve power NOT JUST if it is worthy of doing so, but if it successfully convinces the public that it is indeed worthy. In the coming days, the BJP needs to work towards attaining this goal.