The year 2017 is perhaps the best year in the history of the BJP. After winning Uttar Pradesh by an overwhelming majority, the party returned to power in Bihar dramatically. It bagged the presidential post in July 17 election, emerged the largest party in the Rajya Sabha overtaking the Congress and now, its candidate Venkaiah Naidu has bagged the vice-presidential election, defeating the Opposition's candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi. The Congress draws a blank, even in what many saw a consolation game.
Naidu becomes VP after BJP emerges largest Rajya Sabha party
The victory if Naidu in the vice-presidential election after the BJP's emergence as the largest party in the Upper House is significant for the Narendra Modi government. The vice-president's post is key as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, a House which is never dissolved and the days of the NDA's growing clout in it, the Modi government has every reason to feel elated about the outcomes. Since the Rajya Sabha is never fully dissolved and its meeting can be convened on any matter even when the Lok Sabha is not in session, the government now gets an advantage to influence things, thanks to its boost in the Upper House.
2017 a memorable year for BJP:
- Does well in local elections in Maharashtra and Odisha
- Wins Uttar Pradesh with a brute majority besides Uttarakhand
- Forms governments in Goa and Manipur despite finishing behind the Congress
- Wins presidential election
- Returns to power in Bihar as CM Nitish Kumar quits the company of Lalu Prasad
- Becomes the biggest party in Rajya Sabha, overtaking the Congress
- Wins vice-presidential election
Absence of strong Opposition leaders in RS means the BJP will have a smooth sail there
Also when it comes to debates in the Rajya Sabha, the chairman of the House has the power to decide on the admissibility of the questions, resolutions or motions in the House and his decision can't be questioned as it would mean a breach of parliamentary proceedings. With Naidu at the helm, the Opposition could now see the going get tougher in the Upper House. Moreover, the absence of top Opposition leaders like Mayawati and Sitaram Yechury and the uncertainty over a re-election of Ahmed Patel would mean the anti-BJP forces would be more toothless in the Upper House.
Article 249 now a weapon for NDA?
The significance of Article 249 of the Indian Constitution also increases with the NDA's growing stature. If two-thirds of the Upper House think that there is a necessity of a central law on a matter that falls under the jurisdiction of the states, then the parliament can pass a resolution to make a law. The BJP now can hope to make political inroads into states, especially those which it is still to conquer, through this provision of the Rajya Sabha's power.
Congress wasted a good candidate like Gandhi
Coming back to Gandhi, the Opposition made a mess of the candidate whose reputation and image could have been put to good use. The Congress made a blunder by not making him the presidential candidate in the first place and even if it had acted faster to nominate him as the vice-presidential candidate, it was always a lost cause since the momentum is with PM Modi and his general Amit Shah and their lotus party. But the miscalculations made the task even easier for the ruling party and now, with its leaders getting planted in top posts, the BJP has the launching pad to extend its influence over the country's future for a considerable period ahead.
