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Battles closer home

The Bengal elections have ratified that despite massive inputs and involvements, raising a regional party against an incumbent govt. It is not one of the most straightforward tasks. This highlights the dynamics of regional and national politics in India, especially regarding geographic specifications and whether the BJP expansionist strategy needs a sanity check. The earliest signs of this defiance were spotted when the state of Odishavoted simultaneously fore MLA and MP candidates. It was the first time people were choosing candidates from two different ( and conflicting ) parties, clearly portraying a choice concerning the role, not allegiance. 

To start with, BJP had its prominence in the Hindi heartland of UP, MP and Rajasthan before it became a national alternative. The first few stints, which came from the NDA, saw active partners like Shiv Sena, JDU, BJD, AIDMK and, ironically, TMC. In this stage, the opportunity for a right-aligning Hindu-biased vote bank developed, which the party later used. However, the role of NDA partners in keeping regional affairs at bay has eroded the NDA memory.

After the victories in 2014 and 2019, BJP has extended its foothold across numerous states, with the ambition of an influence that the INC once commanded. But unlike INC, it has had to run into its friends and battle the likes of JDU in Bihar, and Shiv Sena in Maharastra, whose dedicated vote bank was once that of NDA. 

In other states like Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala, the strategy had been to collect faces from the regional battleground, which isn't in coordination with the incumbent government. Add a few bench sitters and push the wagon with massive central pomp. Although it makes a beautiful ready-made recipe for a regional wing on paper, the reality proves otherwise. This brings us to the initial question.

Is national propaganda enough for a regional caravan to sail the tides of state concerns and affairs? 

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