The BJP, the world’s largest political party, started its high-voltage election campaign with a Hindutva flavor but also a divisive slogan, “Batenge to Katenge” (If we divide, we may remain distanced from power), to consolidate the Hindu vote bank, which has fragmented into various castes and sub-castes in Maharashtra due to various reasons.Interestingly, before this extremist slogan could reach the masses in full force, BJP’s star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reversed the course set by another BJP campaigner, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who popularized “Batenge to Katenge”. Modi introduced a more inclusive slogan, “Ek Hai to Safe Hai” (If we are united, we are safeguarded), at his campaign rally in Dhule. The objective of this slogan was to bring together all castes, creeds, and religious minorities under one umbrella to retain power in Maharashtra, the highest GDP-contributing state. The BJP not only used this slogan in its campaign rallies but also began running advertisements with it in prominent newspapers across Maharashtra.The BJP’s parent body, RSS, has its headquarters in Nagpur, Maharashtra, but the state has always remained elusive for both RSS and BJP. While Narendra Modi has been sworn in for a third term as Prime Minister of India, Maharashtra has yet to come fully under his or the RSS’s grasp.
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