A few weeks after the Lok Sabha results in 2024, the timelines of Congress leaders were full of claims about how Narendra Modi would find it difficult to complete the first year of his third term. In casual conversations too, Congress insiders exuded confidence that Rahul Gandhi’s time had come and that he could ‘topple’ the Modi government any day. Some regional leaders also spoke along the same lines, though with less gusto.

BJP workers sighed with relief that the government was back but felt worried about the changing trends. Nine months into that election, Rahul Gandhi’s prospects of toppling the government are a far cry. There are now serious questions even about his ability to lead the Opposition camp.

The BJP’s back-to-back victories in Haryana, Maharashtra, and now Delhi have not only cemented its political hegemony but also led people to believe that the setback of 30-odd seats was perhaps just an aberration—or a minor speed breaker. Of course, the BJP lost in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir, but winning three out of five, plus a sweep in the Jammu region, is cause for great satisfaction.

This becomes even more impressive when one considers the fact that the party was being written off in Haryana and Maharashtra following its Lok Sabha reverses in these two states. Even more spectacular is the Delhi victory, which BJP supporters had accepted as a ‘gone case’ due to the dominance........

© News18