देशपांड्यांचं पोरगं

Many in the Opposition are questioning PM elect, Narendra Modi's claim to a third term, suggesting he lacks legitimacy to form the government. Is this true? No, not at all if you consider the facts. HARD FACT 1: BJP RETAINED 208 SEATS OF THE 303 SEATS IT WON IN 2019 RETENTION RATE: 68% TAKEAWAY: No intense anti-Incumbency against Modi and BJP.  HARD FACT 2: Just 6 lakh votes across 33 seats could have secured BJP a majority. Some of these, like Chandigarh, Hamirpur, Salempur, Dhaurahra, Dhule, Beed, Arambagh, Daman & Diu, were lost by BJP by a margin between 2000 and 8000 votes.  TAKEAWAY: No intense pan-India anti-Incumbency wave against Modi and BJP.  HARD FACT 3: BJP WON 32 NEW CONSTITUENCIES ACROSS 11 STATES & UTs TAKEAWAY: BJP is seen as THE alternative across India HARD FACT 4: BJP’s 32 new constituencies are pan-India. Odisha (12) Telangana (4), Maharashtra (3), AP(3), WB(2), Bihar (1) Dadar & Nagar Haveli (1), Chhattisgard (1), Andaman and Nicobar (1), UP(1), MP (1), Karnataka (1), Kerala (1)  TAKEAWAY: BJP is still growing in states where it is established and in which it wasn’t a force earlier. HARD FACT 5: BJP lost only 42/92 seats in head-to-head fights against Congress TAKEAWAY: BJP first choice of voters in most direct fights against Cong HARD FACT 6: Total voters who voted in South for BJP or Cong BJP: 39,465,778 Cong: 39,165,682 TAKEAWAY: More voters voted for BJP than Cong in South despite the latter contesting 94 and BJP contesting 88 of a total of 131 seats HARD FACT 7: BJP leads Cong in states and UTs won with 50% or more votes BJP: 3 UTS, & 7 States CONG: 2 UTs, 1 State (Nagaland) TAKEAWAY: More voters overwhelmingly favour BJP in more geographies HARD FACT 8: Popular votes won by BJP across all seats: 23,59,73,935 (36.5%) Popular votes won by CONG across all seats: 13,67,59,064 (21.19%) TAKEAWAY: Cong failed to defeat BJP despite 10 years of anti-incumbency HARD FACT 9: NDA won 18/22 (82%) of constituencies where women voters exceeded men by 10% TAKEAWAY: Women voters reposed faith in BJP where they make up a majority of voters  p.s: Those invoking morality not electoral math must remember that Dr Manmohan Singh became PM when he wasn't even on the ticket in 2004. He was selected and not elected. In 2009, despite having failed to get Congress party a majority when he was on the ticket, Dr Singh had no hesitation in taking the oath for a second time. Then again, what legitimacy did the PM's of United Front government's have? The UF experiment, in fact, came to fruition only because AB Vajpayee couldn't get the required coalition partners after the BJP emerged as the single largest party post the 1996 Lok Sabha polls.