Will Narendra Modi's magic work for the BJP in Assembly elections 2013?
Though opinion polls give the BJP the clear edge in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the party's prospects in Delhi and Chhattisgarh are slim
First Published: Fri, Oct 04 2013. 05 51 PM IST
Narendra Modi's popularity, easily measured by the large audiences that have assembled to hear him in Jaipur, Rewari, Trichy, Bhopal and Delhi, has been visible. Photo: AFP
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Updated: Fri, Oct 04 2013. 09 00 PM IST
Narendra Modi's campaign as the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate as prime minister has coincided with the run up to the election campaign for the five state assemblies of Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram.
His popularity, easily measured by the large audiences that have assembled to hear him in Jaipur, Rewari, Trichy, Bhopal and Delhi, has been visible. But the big question is whether Modi will be able to cash his personal popularity as votes for the BJP.
On the face of it, things are going in Modi's favour, especially the fact that the rallies have been packed with young people—a key constituency in this election. The shift in the country's demography means that nationally little under 50% of the voters are in the 18-35 years category; further, a fifth of the electorate is made up of first time voters.
Differences within the Congress, especially over the move to promulgate an ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers from disqualification, means that the party is not in a position to put its best foot forward. This apart, it is a fact that the Congress is battling anti-incumbency sentiment dominated by governance failure and allegations of corruption in high office.
Having dealt himself into the game, Modi has raised the stakes for himself. Though opinion polls give the BJP the clear edge in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the party's prospects in Delhi and Chhattisgarh are slim. Given Modi's very high profile campaign, only a clean sweep will silence his critics—both within and outside the BJP.
First Published: Fri, Oct 04 2013. 05 51 PM IST
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