BJP prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s public meetings have not given a wake-up call to the Congress and other regional parties yet; they see the current “picture” as not final.
But his meetings in Pathankot, Bhuj, Hyderabad, Rewari and Bhopal before and after the announcement of his PM candidature have not created panic among his political adversaries at the national level and in the states, this despite media surveys that say he is the most charismatic leader of the BJP, which could emerge the single largest party after the 2015 general election.
But Mr Modi himself has been keen on allying with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, MNS in Maharashtra, INLD in Haryana, BJD in Orissa and KJP in Karnataka and is looking for an ally in West Bengal.
A Congress strategist says “the (political) picture is not final”, adding it could become clearer after the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi.
The Modi factor is relevant in eight states — Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Goa, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, said a CWC member. According to him, Mr Modi’s “aggressive” image and style are the main hurdles in his bid to become Prime Minister as they does not appeal to a lot of people across the country. Like many BJP leaders, Mr Modi too imitates former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in his speeches. “But this is not making him acceptable outside the BJP and RSS,” the CWC member said.
Mr Modi is building his election campaign on the issues of “Congresss-Mukta Bharat (Congress-free nation)” and misuse of the CBI.
His supporters in the BJP and outside are confident that “Modi magic” will work in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where society has already been polarised in the last 25 years due to the Mandal and Ayodhya agitations.