It goes without saying that the northeast verdict makes the BJP that much more than just a pan-Indian party, having removed the Congress from the region. Hence, a victory here gives the BJP the talking point of it now being acceptable outside ‘mainland’ (read: Hindu-dominated) India. The BJP’s northeast strategy also showed the importance it is now giving to alliances. The essential difference between the BJP and the Congress today is not just that ‘BJP ke paas Modi hai’ (BJP has Modi). It is that the Congress gets satisfied with a ‘moral victory’ — as in Gujarat, before it lost steam — while the BJP is spurred on by setbacks.

Source: Economic Times March 04, 2018 17:37 UTC