UP BJP stops clamour for Modi
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s “star power” is “fading”, at least within the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit. The state unit has stopped sending requests for the Gujarat CM to campaign for the ongoing Assembly polls as he is “acting pricey” despite his ability to draw crowds.
Instead, the party’s UP unit is sending requests for other senior leaders to campaign as their repeated appeals that Mr Modi should campaign in this electorally important state appear to have fallen on deaf ears as the Gujarat CM seems to be reluctant to campaign. The party is still awaiting Mr Modi’s confirmation to campaign.
Mr Modi skipped campaigning in Uttarakhand and Punjab too where polls were held recently.
In UP, the BJP is desperately trying to increase its numbers from the current 48 in the 403-member state Assembly. Voting for two phases out of the seven-phased polls has already taken place in UP.
The BJP has been claiming that he has been preoccupied in his home state due to which he could not campaign for the party so far in the poll-bound states.
With Mr Modi’s Sadbhavna Mission fasts ending Sunday, the BJP is hoping that he might finally respond to campaigning requests.
Mr Modi might be one of the most sought after star campaigners of the BJP but with his reluctance to campaign in UP, even requests for him to campaign have stopped now.
Sources disclosed Mr Modi is reluctant to campaign in UP as his bête noire and the BJP’s former general secretary (organisation) Sanjay Joshi holds an important position in the UP poll management committee.
Mr Modi, it is learnt, in also unhappy with the BJP top brass for remaining non-committal over his claim to be the BJP’s PM candidate for the 2014 general polls.
Mr Modi is the only BJP CM who has not started his campaigning trail as yet.
Post new comment