New Delhi

Pradeep Gupta has said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s phase of political dominance, which began in 2014, is likely to continue for “at least 20 years”, provided its governance performance remains strong.

In an interview with PTI, the head of Axis My India compared the BJP’s current position to the prolonged dominance once enjoyed by the Indian National Congress in the early decades after Independence.

“There is a threshold in politics. Earlier, Congress ruled continuously till 1977. After that, it started facing difficulties. In those days, we used to talk about a political generation lasting around 20 years. That 20-year cycle will remain even now,” Gupta said.

According to him, the BJP could continue to remain the principal force in Indian politics if it continues to meet public expectations.

“After receiving such a massive mandate, expectations from the BJP have also increased. So the BJP and the NDA will now have to super perform,” he said.

Gupta added that as long as the ruling alliance’s performance does not weaken substantially, it is likely to retain electoral dominance while the opposition continues to struggle.

“Till the time their performance does not become weak or poor, they will keep winning and the opposition will keep losing,” he said.

Commenting on the Congress party’s prospects, Gupta said it continues to grapple with what he described as “legacy issues” linked to public perceptions of past governance.

“Even if you talk about 2029, it would mean around 15 years out of power for Congress. I feel it may take at least five more years for them to convince the entire country,” he said.

At the same time, Gupta noted that sustained dominance inevitably raises voter expectations and could eventually create challenges for the ruling party itself.

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“When you reach great heights, there is also a tendency to come down later. BJP has also reached that stage where expectations from it have risen,” he said.