JD-U split may help Modi in elections

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A Kashmiri woman prays early in the morning at the Hazratbal shrine, on the outskirts of Srinagar, on Friday,

The saffron mascot for the 2014 polls, Mr Narendra Modi over whom there’s a turmoil within the BJP and in the NDA, has so far maintained a stony silence. While the 18-year-old BJP-JD(U) alliance is on the verge of breaking up, Mr Modi has not made any conciliatory remark or move.
Mr Modi’s silence on the issue has given rise to speculations that the chairman of the BJP’s election campaign committee was not perturbed over developments in Bihar.
The saffron strategists feel that if the JD(U) snaps ties it will not merely “end” the patriarch, Mr L.K. Advani’s desperate attempts to project himself as the “NDA glue”, but also pave the way for the party to project Mr Modi as the face for 2014 polls.
Moreover they feel that the decision to snap ties would damage the Bihar chief minister, Mr Nitish Kumar more than the BJP. It was claimed that the trend indicate that once the JD(U) snapped ties, RJD would emerge stronger with its Muslim-Yadav (MY) combination while the upper caste and the floating Hindu vote bank would consolidate in BJP’s favour.
BJP Bihar leaders claimed that the 20 per cent Muslim vote bank being targeted by Mr Kumar was consolidating rapidly towards Lalu Prasad Yadav led Rashtriya Janata Dal. The BJP leaders said that in the Lok Sabha polls that the Muslims would lean towards the RJD as it has been their “natural ally.” The saffron camp see the possibility of RJD getting back its “MY” combination while Mr Kumar would be left with only four per cent of Kurmi vote bank.
Going by the 2010 assembly polls results, the BJP which won 91 of the 102 seats in Bihar claimed that the “Modi-factor” would further strengthen its position.
In 2009 Lok Sabha polls while BJP bagged 12, the JD(U) won 20 Lok Sabha berths.
As the fate of the BJP-JD(U) alliance hangs in balance, Mr Modi’s camp has begun preparing for his tour.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are supposed to be the four states, Mr Narendra Modi is likely to focus on during the first phase of his tour.