BJP credits development agenda

A visibly upbeat Modi,who had gone into a virtual hiding for two days after the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year,was quick to decide to be seen in public. He has reportedly directed his party cadre to organise a series of public rallies in the constituencies to hail the victory. While Modi addressed a public rally in Dehgam on Monday evening,he is scheduled to make an appearance at Jasdan and Chotila in Saurashtra on Tuesday,Gujarat BJP spokesman I K Jadeja told The Indian Express.

The BJP,more particularly Modi,was looking desperately for a win in the wake of the lackadaisical performance of the party in the general elections,besides a series of defeats in local elections,mainly the Junagadh Municipal Corporation. Since the saffron outfit itself began going under over the last few months,Modi was virtually on the defensive and was keeping an uncharacteristically low profile.

So much so that he kept himself off the campaign for his party candidates who contested the by-elections for the seven Assembly seats. As a senior BJP worker pointed out,Modi’s game plan (of staying away from the campaign) was to avoid further trouble if the BJP performed badly again.

State BJP chief Purshottam Rupala maintained it could make no difference whether Modi actively campaigned for the party or not. “But,the CM was closely monitoring the BJP’s poll machinery and taking feedback from his men on the party’s poll strategy on a day-to-day basis,sitting in Gandhinagar. In the final reckoning,the electorate have reposed faith in the BJP and endorsed the government’s development agenda,” he said.

Political observers say the bypoll results could help Modi reassert himself in the party at the national level. Especially after he and his mentor L K Advani had drawn flak from within over the banning of Jaswant Singh’s book on Jinnah. Meanwhile,the internal bickering in the ranks,file of the opposition and lack of co-ordination among its leaders are being attributed to the Congress defeat.

“A ruling party has always been in an advantageous position whenever Assembly by-elections are held in any state. The BJP in Gujarat can not be an exception to this. The Congress leaders will,however,sit and analyse the results and rectify its mistakes,if any,committed during the by-polls,” said Gujarat Congress chief Siddharth Patel.

Leader of the Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil,however,would not agree that the Congress had to face the electoral defeat due to any lack of co-ordination. But he conceded that the party could not properly chalk out a counter strategy to take on the BJP.