On May 20, 2014, Narendra Modi knelt on the steps of Parliament and touched the ground with his forehead. He was soon elected as the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary party. Inside the historic Central Hall, slogans and chants echoed as he was praised for guiding the BJP to a historic victory in the Lok Sabha polls. Party patriarch LK Advani said that only the BJP and its ‘Narendra bhai ki kripa’ (blessings) can see the day.
When Moody rose to speak, his voice cracked with emotion. “Advaniji ne ek shabd kaha. Main Advaniji se prarthna karoonga ki woh iss shabd ka istmaal na kare… (Advaniji used the word. I will ask him not to use that term)…” adding that he considers the BJP as its mother, and the son serves the mother.
He then went on to explain how the electoral ruling was a “vote for the BJP” and not against the Congress. “If the governance had been fractured, it would have been possible to say that people were expressing their anger against the government and that it was anti-establishment. But by giving the BJP an absolute majority, they voted for hope and trust. The people voted for hope and faith,” he added.
It was this judgment that the Prime Minister and his party set out to amplify as they sought to expand the BJP’s reach both geographically and ideologically. From being in power in seven states before the May ruling, the BJP has grown to be in power in 21 states in 2026.
“We were in (power) five states, which were also our strongholds, namely Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, and in alliance with our partners in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Today we are in power in 21 states, including West Bengal and Odisha where we were never in power, and Prime Minister Modi’s leadership has made this possible,” a senior party leader and national office bearer said.
He attributed the rise of the BJP under Modi to the Prime Minister’s “comprehensive vision”. “The biggest driver of this change has been welfare. Policies on the marginalized, innovation, infrastructure, and improving federalism while adhering to the principles of Hindutva and Antyodaya have led to the emergence of the BJP as an inclusive national entity,” the leader said. The ‘Antyodaya’ or philosophy of serving the last person in line, promoted by party theorist Deen Dayal Upadhyay, is seen as the basis for the government’s welfare awareness.
“Except for a few states, where the BJP depends on allies, the party can win elections on its own. We were able to form a government even in the far north-eastern region where it was difficult to find a party office, a few years ago. This happened because of the vision and strategy of the Prime Minister Amit Shah,” the leader quoted above said.
The party’s decisive victory in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and historic victories in Odisha and Bengal, helped demolish the perception that the BJP could not win against regional giants like the Biju Janata Dal in Odisha, the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar, or the Samajwadi Party in UP.
“The Congress Party, which after independence was the dominant force that crushed the aspirations of regional leaders and ruled for five decades, has now been politically defeated… Due to its misrule, allies like the Janata Dal and the LDF have preferred the NDA over the All India Alliance,” the leader said.
A second party functionary who worked with Modi when the latter was a partisan, the general secretary in Delhi, said the prime minister’s “firm and indomitable approach” in dealing with problems, coupled with his ability to take tough decisions, has rewritten the rules of the game.
“Previous leaders shied away from what was considered impossible or politically unsound,” the second leader said. “He overcame dynasties, gave people from the most marginalized groups a voice, and when it came to difficult decisions, insisted on facing opposition and criticism.”
The emergence of marginalized classes and their political representation changed the composition and form of legislative bodies. A third-party official, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, said the past 12 years have been an era of change with Modi “rewriting the rules of politics”.
“From giving positions in the party and government to non-dynasts to ensuring that unsung heroes working for the people are selected for the prestigious Padma awards, he has rewritten the rules. Recognition of work and talent has gone beyond the culture of sevarich (recommendation),” the MP said.
Modi’s colleagues also credit the Prime Minister for opening new channels of communication through his monthly radio programme, Mann Ki Baat, and his social media accounts.
“He made sure that the work spoke and that elected representatives were judged on their performance. In fact, there is a common joke that if anyone said a word to you, it was a given that you wouldn’t get the job!” said the MP quoted above.
Party leaders also assert that party social engineering or bringing together a cross-caste alliance, which has been identified as a major reason for the BJP’s consolidation, has been strengthened by the Prime Minister’s outreach.
“He has managed to convey the message that politics is not just an attitude, but a thought process. People’s choice – whether it is for Rashtrapati Bhavan or Rajya Sabha – does not depend on clout, but on qualities, whether it is a person from the most backward region or a deprived tribe…,” the MP said.
The party’s expansion and electoral success are also attributed to the Prime Minister’s insistence on changing systems for “ease of living.”
“There are states like Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP has been in power for three decades. We won the elections in Maharashtra and Haryana bucking anti-incumbency because the work done by the government ensured good governance results,” said a fourth leader, who is also a former state president.
The leader said that during Congress rule there was a very popular slogan, “Congress ka haath, garib ke saath” (Congress’s hand is with the poor – a reference to the party’s pro-poor policy). “…But it remained just a slogan. Their leader (Prime Minister), Rajiv Gandhi, admitted that there was excessive leakage, and by the time the funds allocated reached the beneficiaries, these funds had declined significantly,” the fourth leader said. After his visit to Kalahandi in Odisha in 1985, Gandhi pointed out corruption when he pointed out that only 15 paise of the rupee reached the poor.
Doubling direct benefit transfers, women-focused schemes, and reducing bureaucratic interventions in clearance processes have contributed to the BJP’s success.
The fourth leader said: “As a leader who has spent time among the people and experienced the difficulties they face, he has ensured that the policies formulated are specifically designed to help the poor. There is a constant review to ensure that there are no gaps in implementation and that there is saturation in the schemes.”
His focus on accountability and transparency in government work is emulated in the states as well. In the Cabinet meeting, ministers are now expected to make presentations and answer questions, which is what bureaucrats used to do earlier, a senior leader from Bihar said. “The Prime Minister’s message was to ensure that ministers are accountable. It is no longer Afsarshahi (bureaucracy) but Lokshahi (democracy)….” the leader from Bihar said.
As he completes 12 years, Modi is credited with reshaping the political system, decentralizing power, and building new voting rules. “The core vote bank of the BJP today are the labarths (beneficiaries) who no longer go through a tortuous process to get their dues… It has created a constituency of people who do not shy away from cultural nationalism and are active participants in the vexit of Bharat.” [developed India]
“This is just the beginning. The Prime Minister has already set new goals for us,” the Fourth Commander said.
