Ending a prolonged suspense, the saffron party anointed him as its prime ministerial candidate for the upcoming 2014 elections. Seeing their dissidence being blatantly ignored, several BJP leaders sans sulking patriarch Lal Krishna Advani ‘blessed’ Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

It must have come as a sweet gift for the 62-year-old strongman, who will turn another year older on September 17. Ever since being named as the chairman of BJP’s Central Campaign Committee in June, it was clear that Modi would be the choice of the party who will seek a return to power next year. With the hardliner RSS pushing all its might, it was clear that Advani & Co. would have to give up in the end. Now, instead of resting on laurels Modi will have to shoulder a Herculean task of riding up to the expectations of his party workers and frenzied social media devotees.

It is said that one has to travel through Lucknow to conquer Delhi. In such a case, Modi and his strong aide Amit Shah will have to garner enough seats in the largest Indian state. The state which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, cutting across regional satraps like SP, BSP and even RLD won’t be an easy task. Known for his ability to polarise votes, the BJP will eye bagging a lions’ share of votes to improve upon its 2009 seat tally of 10 in the state. With archrival Congress witnessing tremendous dissent due to inflation and scams, the principal opposition party stands a golden opportunity to turn the tables.

After UP, the most politically volatile state nowadays is Bihar. It was Modi because of whom NDA ally Janata Dal (United) called off the partnership with BJP. With Chief Minister Nitish Kumar secretly nurturing prime ministerial ambitions while continuously proving his secular credentials, winning more seats in the state will not only boost Modi’s morale but will also soothe the wounds of his party inflicted due to split.

Next in line is the central state of Madhya Pradesh. Being a saffron turf for the past ten years under its charismatic leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the BJP will have to reap the maximum of benefits from his leadership. Since Modi has been elevated ahead of the Assembly polls in this state, he needs to work in tandem with 54-year-old counterpart so that the party bags the maximum number of seats in the 240-member-strong Madhya Pradesh Assembly. A landslide win will not only boost the morale of the party, but will also inflict maximum damage to the Congress.


Capturing applause at public rallies by delivering speeches in Hindi won’t win you elections Mr Modi. You will have to ensure that these speeches do influence the voters when they go to the polling booths.