The BJP Loss in Bihar

At the beginning of campaigning for the Bihar elections, it seemed that the BJP would continue its "sabka saath, sabka vikaas" positioning.

However, some strange villain in the BJP camp seemed to have changed the BJP's view of voters.

The BJP allowed fringe elements to take the national stage with divisive pronouncements on everything but development.  At the same time, the Prime Minister of the nation was reduced to campaigning for state elections as if he was the CM candidate.  The Prime Minister refused to speak on issues being raised across the nation.
This two-pronged strategy was suicidal.

I can't say if Bihar's rural voters did see through BJP's strategy.  But it does seem that they didn't like a "baharwala".

The Nitish-Lalu combine is unlikely to be as developmental as what the BJP was promising at the national elections in 2014.

Net-net, Bihar loses because the BJP has stabbed itself in the back.

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The AAP Victory and what the BJP did wrong

The magnitude of the AAP victory is a surprise.

Nevertheless, there were signs that the BJP was going about the election doing things wrong.

1.  The Prime Minister, members of the Union Cabinet and Members of Parliament from constituencies far away from Delhi campaigning for Legislative Assembly  candidates was a signal, even if unintended, that the BJP had *NO* confidence in itself.

2. Sidelining the state leadership for some time, changing the strategy about naming, i.e. not naming, the Chief Minister candidate and then parachuting someone who has NO background in the party (and had actually called the party names earlier) wouldn't have instilled confidence in the party workers either.

3.  Abusing the Chief Minister candidate wasn't graceful.  And a Prime Minister calling a Chief Minister candidate a Naxalite !  How disgraceful can you be ?!

4.  The Union Finance Minister (who is supposed to be working on the Union Budget) taking time to comment on the AAP, using words like "anarchy" and "nightmare" were another sign of desperation, not confidence.  He has lost some of my respect for him.
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Alzheimers

The movie "Still Alice" is on the topic of early-onset Alzheimers.

It is an exploration of the questions the patient and his/her family faces.

Do watch the movie if you are in your 50s or have an aged parent.

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