New Delhi: It had nothing to do with astrology, just sheer electoral strategy. The timing of BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi filing his nomination could translate into an electoral masterstroke, if it works.
As 117 seats went to the polls nationwide, the only thing that played on TV channels was the saffron surge in Varanasi, driving many to comment that it was “Modi’s coronation, not nomination”. With the massive saffron campaign seen across the country, the BJP hopes to benefit in 19 Lok Sabha seats bordering Varanasi in eastern UP, which is one of the party’s weakest links.
BJP hopes to sweep East UP
The Lok Sabha seats where the BJP hopes to benefit due to the Narendra Modi roadshow in Varanasi include Chandauli, Mirzapur, Allahabad, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Balia, Bhadoi, Jaunpur, Rawasgunj and Azamgarh.
The BJP is hoping that Mr Modi will be able to cut across the caste politics that dominates this region. To send a strong signal, a brahmin, a boatman, a paanwala and a weaver were among Mr Modi’s proposers in Varanasi on Thursday. Of eastern UP’s 33 Lok Sabha seats, the BJP has only three. Its spin doctors say it must get 20 of these 33 seats to win 45 Lok Sabha berths in UP.
Narendra Modi contesting from Varanasi is not merely a symbolic act, as he is also regarded as an Hindutva icon, but a strategy to revive the BJP in the state, particularly in this belt. With his “Ganga” speech and garlanding the statue of Swami Vivekananda and seeking the blessing of “Lord Shiva”, Mr Modi also played the “soft Hindutva” card in the holy city.
Somewhat outwitted by Mr Modi’s strategy of holding a roadshow on his way to file his nomination papers while 117 constituencies across the country went to the polls, the Congress demanded registration of an FIR against him, saying this was a “flagrant violation” of the model code of consuct. “We do not want just issuing of notice. We want action. An FIR should be registered against all BJP leaders involved, including the varanasi candidate,” said party spokesman and Union minister Anand Sharma.
He said the law was very clear that canvassing was not permissible on a day when polling was taking place. But Mr Sharma appeared somewhat stumped when reminded that polling was taking place in Tripura when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had filed his nomination in Amethi, which too was telecast live across the country. Mr Sharma tried to argue that 117 constituencies were involved in voting Thursday, the second largest number of seats voting on a single day in the nine-phase election.
