The curtains came down on the “Vajpayee years” with a dramatic shift of power in 2004. The ruling BJP confidently advanced the general elections to capitalise on the popularity of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a perceived “feel good factor” based on the government’s economic achievements through a mega “India Shining” campaign. The Congress countered with a pitch promising to protect the interests of the common man— the ‘aam aadmi.’ Pollsters predicted a win for the BJP-led NDA but the final verdict defied their electoral calculations, surprising both the victor and the vanquished.
The Congress resurrected, delivering a significant blow to the NDA. Congress President Sonia Gandhi turned down the PM post, instead nominating Manmohan Singh, who became India’s first non-Hindu PM and led the Congress-led coalition, christened the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), for the next 10 years.
The Congress-led UPA received the mandate once again in 2009, albeit with different alliance partners, defeating a BJP-led NDA coalition of a different formulation.
