BJP congratulated on Twitter but with a few caveats

As congratulatory messages poured in on Twitter for BJP’s spectacular victory, the following trends became clear early on the counting day:

1. Poor performance by the Congress in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar has come as a major setback for the party.
2. The results indicate a complete collapse of the Left which has failed in its traditional strongholds of Bengal, Kerala, Tripura and Bihar.
3. Spectacular gains of the BJP in Bengal may threaten the stability of the state government headed by Mamata Banerjee and Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
4. BJP has emerged as a political force in Telangana
5. For the Congress, Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu bucked the trend somewhat

As it became clear that BJP would be returning to power with more numbers than in 2014, Twitter began to record various messages, some apprehensive about the future, a few of them sarcastic but a large number congratulating BJP and wishing the Modi-Shah team well.

Former J & K chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, “So the exit polls were correct. All that’s left is to congratulate the BJP & NDA for a stellar performance. Credit where credit is due PM Modi Sahib & Mr Amit Shah put together a winning alliance & a very professional campaign. Bring on the next five years.”

Journalist Rana Ayyub pointed at the irony of Pragya Singh Thakur leading in Bhopal: “Charged under UAPA for Malegaon blasts that killed muslims, called Nathuram Godse a hero, Pragya Thakur, a member of Abhinav Bharat, proponent of Hindu Rashtra is all set to enter the Indian parliament as our MP. You could not have been more explicit than this my country.”

Nilim Dutta in Guwahati tweeted, “ Just had a very candid conversation with a "Tiwari Ji" from UP who is ecstatic that Modi would return. He said, "Aap dekh lijiyega, Modi iss bar reservation pura hata dega." I told him, "Yes, let that happen and there would be a civil war."

Prakash Raj, actor and activist who had contested as an independent candidate in Bengaluru, tweeted: a SOLID SLAP on my face ..as More ABUSE..TROLL..and HUMILIATION come my way..I WILL STAND MY GROUND ..My RESOLVE to FIGHT for SECULAR INDIA will continue..A TOUGH JOURNEY AHEAD HAS JUST BEGUN ..THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO WERE WITH ME IN THIS JOURNEY. .... JAI HIND

Nepali commentator and journalist Kanak Mani Dikshit tweeted, “ Narendra Modi's single-handed win has implications for India of course, but also for all of Southasia and the globe. One can only now hope for a softer Modi vis-a-vis India's people, and non-interventionist vis-a-vis India's neighbours.

Ayyub followed up with a tweet voicing her surprise at the incredible result. “Despite unemployment being at an all time high, lack of economic reforms, agrarian distress, A prime minister who claims to have used email in the 80's, conflates physics with his cloud radar theory, appoints a candidate charged with terror and glorifies Godse. BJP wins majority.

Journalist and author Tony Joseph tweeted, “Congratulations to NDA and BJP for winning a clear majority 2. Good wishes to all who fought the good fight on principles. 3. Shame to those in the media who behaved, and continue to behave, as cheerleaders of those in power, violating the ethics of their profession.

Psephologist Dr Praveen Patil, who had been predicting a silent Modi wave sweeping the North had this to say: “Hardly anybody acknowledges our work. We have been called a "fraud" for being wrong in one out of 25 election cycles in the last 7 years. But still, just for the record #5Forty3SaidSo 2 years ago - BJP+ heading towards 50% Vote-Share across India!”