Poll reverses and law & order issues threaten to mar Modi's progress, report Hitesh Ankleshwaria and Rupesh Panchal
It was December 2007 when the world was keeping an eye on the
Gujarat assembly elections. For Narendra Modi, it was a crucial poll. He had campaigned rigorously for all the 182 assembly seats except Maninagar constituency from where he himself was contesting. Against him, the Congress had pitched the then Minister of State for Petroleum Dinsha Patel, a leader with a liberal image and strong support from the economically powerful Patidar community. But Modi was confident of victory; and not for wrong reasons as both destiny and his progress report favoured him. Dinsha faced a severe setback and Modi, singlehandedly, captured 117 seats in the Assembly elections.
Today, the King’s armour has taken some hits, more damaging to the image than in the recent past. Two years ago, it seemed Modi could do no wrong. In the last general elections, Modi’s political stature reached such heights that some sections declared him a Prime Ministerial candidate – his 300 odd political rallies across India adding to the positioning. Modi won one more seat than he had won in the 2004 general elections. Like we said, that was then. Cut to the present, and the recent elections of JMC (Junagadh Municipal Corporation) and KDCMPUL (Kheda District Co-Operative Milk Producers’ Union; better known as Amul Dairy Union) touted as being an easy image booster for Modi, have shocked party observers with the Congress winning both elections. This despite many state cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs being pressed into the campaign.
So, is the magic of Narendra Modi waning? Social scientist and staunch critic of right wing political parties Achyut Yagnik says, “Yes, Modi’s influence is decreasing. The setback in the general elections and the JMC polls is a visible example.” BJP spokesperson IK Jadeja contests the contention. He says: “Only one election is not a parameter of some one’s success or failure. In JMC we lost to the Congress in terms of seats but ward-wise we have got 14,000 more votes than the Congress.” Emphasising that Modi’s magic is still intact, he adds, “Getting that one additional seat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections happened due to the power of Narendrabhai’s development plank.” Achyut Yagnik gives his take, “BJP was only focusing on the urban middle-class but now it is working to woo people at the district and tehsil levels.”
It was December 2007 when the world was keeping an eye on the
Gujarat assembly elections. For Narendra Modi, it was a crucial poll. He had campaigned rigorously for all the 182 assembly seats except Maninagar constituency from where he himself was contesting. Against him, the Congress had pitched the then Minister of State for Petroleum Dinsha Patel, a leader with a liberal image and strong support from the economically powerful Patidar community. But Modi was confident of victory; and not for wrong reasons as both destiny and his progress report favoured him. Dinsha faced a severe setback and Modi, singlehandedly, captured 117 seats in the Assembly elections.Today, the King’s armour has taken some hits, more damaging to the image than in the recent past. Two years ago, it seemed Modi could do no wrong. In the last general elections, Modi’s political stature reached such heights that some sections declared him a Prime Ministerial candidate – his 300 odd political rallies across India adding to the positioning. Modi won one more seat than he had won in the 2004 general elections. Like we said, that was then. Cut to the present, and the recent elections of JMC (Junagadh Municipal Corporation) and KDCMPUL (Kheda District Co-Operative Milk Producers’ Union; better known as Amul Dairy Union) touted as being an easy image booster for Modi, have shocked party observers with the Congress winning both elections. This despite many state cabinet ministers, MPs and MLAs being pressed into the campaign.
So, is the magic of Narendra Modi waning? Social scientist and staunch critic of right wing political parties Achyut Yagnik says, “Yes, Modi’s influence is decreasing. The setback in the general elections and the JMC polls is a visible example.” BJP spokesperson IK Jadeja contests the contention. He says: “Only one election is not a parameter of some one’s success or failure. In JMC we lost to the Congress in terms of seats but ward-wise we have got 14,000 more votes than the Congress.” Emphasising that Modi’s magic is still intact, he adds, “Getting that one additional seat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections happened due to the power of Narendrabhai’s development plank.” Achyut Yagnik gives his take, “BJP was only focusing on the urban middle-class but now it is working to woo people at the district and tehsil levels.”
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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