With dates for assembly elections in Gujarat being announced on Wednesday, the battle royale for the BJP has begun as results in the state will be an acid test for the party’s fortunes in MP, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan that go to polls later next year and also set the tone for the party to ready itself for a possible mid-term polls at the national level.
Rebellion against the chief minister Narendra Modi in the state, notwithstanding, the BJP has made up its mind that the party would face assembly elections under his leadership, as the central leadership has scuttled every move of the anti-Modi camp led by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel to deny Modi centrestage in the election process.
BJP?s decision to bank on Modi was apparent when party chief Rajanath Singh this evening claimed that Modi’s ?aura? would lead the party to power once again in the state. ??The party’s plank in Gujarat would be development and the aura, which the incumbent chief minister enjoys, are enough to bring the party back to power,?? he said.
Refusing to buy the argument that dissident activity in the party is going to hurt it dearly, Singh said, “The results are obvious and cannot be altered by any activity. I would rather appeal to all party leaders in the state to be one in the road to victory.”
Singh, who had a meeting with the party’s Gujarat election incharge Arun Jaitely soon after the announcement of the poll dates, added that the “confidence of the party” was reasonable and “only time would prove that it is not an over-confidence”.
The saffron party also sought to put to rest any probable damage of BSP’s presence in the contest. “BSP would only help us improve the margin of victory,” he said.
Interestingly, even critics of Modi believe that his appeal in the state now goes beyond “Hindutva” and has weaved a new caste combination in the state. First he broke the traditional patronage network and has re-built a new one around Kshtriya, Harijan and Adivasi to support him, leaving the influential Patel, they said.
He has also unveiled a vision for Gujarat, which is focused on performance, development and well being of people at large. But will people vote for him is still to be seen, as many a time in India performing chief ministers lost power in their respective states.