Times Now-CVoter Opinion Poll: Congress Clear Loser but BJP still Far from Victory

We could end up with a Lok Sabha in which, for the first time, the single largest party has less than one-fourth of the 543 seats and no front has even a third. That is what would happen if elections were held now, according to a Times Now-CVoter opinion poll. It projects that the NDA would win 156 seats with the BJP getting 131 of them, while the UPA would win 136 with the Congress pegged to 119.

The poll estimated that the 'Third Front' , which includes the Left, Samajwadi Party, RJD, TDP, BJD and some other regional parties, would win 129 seats and the 'Fourth Front' , including the BSP, Trinamool Congress, AIADMK and others, would win 122. In short, the elections are projected to end up as a fairly even four-way split, though some of these formations like the Third and Fourth Fronts are not really firmly established , at least as of now, and others may also morph in the coming months.

If the predictions come true, the AIADMK, SP, BSP, Left and Trinamool would each have between 22 and 33 seats. With the two big national parties put together not winning even half of the seats, the regional bosses would really be able to call the shots in such a scenario. Among the bigger states, the poll projects SP and BSP between them winning threefourths of the 80 seats in UP, with the SP picking up 33 and the BSP 27.

The Congress, which won 21 seats in the state in 2009, is projected to win just five in 2014 and the BJP is estimated to gain just a couple of seats to get 12.

Cong will win just 7 LS seats in Andhra: CVoter Poll

In Maharashtra, it's advantage NDA and bad news for Sharad Pawar's NCP, if the poll has got it right. It estimates that the Shiv Sena will win 15 of the state's 48 seats and the BJP 11, the same as the Congress. The NCP is projected to get just 6 seats, Raj Thackeray's MNS opening its account with 3.

In Andhra Pradesh, a state in which the Congress won 33 of the 42 seats in 2009, the CVoter poll projects it will win a mere 7. Jagan Reddy's YSR Congress, a party that didn't exist in 2009, is estimated to win 14 seats and the Telengana Rashtra Samiti 11, leaving just 7 for Chandrababu Naidu's TDP. Of course, the AP numbers could change dramatically once the formation of Telangana is announced, which is expected soon.

In West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee will continue to fly high despite her alliance with the Congress having broken up since the last elections. The poll projects that the Trinamool Congress will win 22 of the state's 42 seats and the Left will win 17, a gain of two seats for each of them, while the Congress tally will drop from 6 to 2.

In Bihar, the break up between Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and the BJP seems to be hurting the former more. In fact, the poll projects that the BJP will emerge as the single largest party in the state winning 14 of the 40 seats, Lalu Prasad's RJD coming a close second with 12 and the JD(U) in third place with 11.

In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa's AIADMK is projected to sweep the polls, winning 29 of the state's 39 seats. The DMK, which won 18 seats last time is expected to drop to a mere 5 and the Congress might have to settle for a lone MP from the southern state.

In Madhya Pradesh, the projections show a fairly close battle between the two national parties with the BJP winning 16 of the 29 seats and the Congress 12, leaving one for the BSP. That would be a repeat of the 2009 results.

In Karnataka, on the other hand, the prediction is for a near total reversal of the 2009 results. In those elections, the BJP had won 19 of the 28 seats, giving the party its largest chunk of seats from any state. The Congress had won a mere 6; the remaining 3 going to H D Deve Gowda's JD(S). This time round, the poll predicts, the Congress will win 17, which would make that the largest chunk of Congress MPs from any state while the BJP will get just 8 seats. The JD(S) tally will remain unchanged.

In Gujarat, not surprisingly , the BJP is predicted to sweep, winning 21 of the state's 26 seats, leaving just 5 for the Congress. This would also mean that the BJP would have more Lok Sabha MPs from Narendra Modi's home state than from any other state.

In Rajasthan, where the Congress nearly swept in 2009 winning 20 of the 25 seats, the estimates are that its tally could drop to 9 while the BJP's tally could rise from 4 to 15.

Source:Economic Times

2014 Polls Survey: Cong Stares at Poor Show in 8 Big States

Bangalore, July 27: The Congress is in a real danger of facing a humiliation in the next Lok Sabha elections. According to a joint poll survey of CNN-IBN and The Hindu, the Congress is set to face serious adverses in eight of the ten most crucial states in the country in terms of electoral results.

In West Bengal, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats, the Congress is expected to get 5-9 seats, which is much mess than the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Left Front, which are expected to get 23-27 and 7-11 seats. In 2009, the TMC and Congress alliance had won 26 seats.

In Bihar, the Congress is set to do even worse. As against the JD(U) projected seat between 15-19 seats (out of 40 seats), the Congress is expected to get 0-4 seats. The BJP and RJD will have a close fight for the second spot.

The only gain for the Congress is set to be Karnataka where it came to power in May this year. Out of 28 Lok Sabha seats, the party is expected to bag 18-22 while the BJP, which faced a massive defeat in the assembly polls this year, could win just 2-6 seats. The JD(S) is also likely to get 2-6 seats.

Andhra Pradesh perhaps present the biggest challenge to the Congress. The party had done good in this state in 2009 (it had won 33 out of 42 seats) but the poll survey says that its tally could come down drastically to just 11-15. The YSR Congress could win 11-15 seats, TDP 6-10 seats while the TRS 5-9 seats. Whether Telangana will be formed or not or whether it can change the party's fate is for time to tell.

In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalithaa's AIADMK is set to be the runaway winner with 16-20 seats (out of 39) while the DMK is expected to get 8-12 seats. The Congress's tally is likely to be 1-5 seats.

The Congress is set to face a landslide in Gujarat where Narendra Modi's BJP is expected to win 20-24 of the 26 seats. The party, in a big decline from what it was in 2009, is likely to get between two to six seats.

In the UP, electorally the most crucial state in India with 80 seats, the Congress will get just 11-15 seats, predicted the poll. In the 2009 elections, the party got 21 seats. The BJP is expected to get between 29-33 seats, which will be a big jump from its previous tally of 10. The ruling Samajwadi Party is likely to get between 17-21 seats while the Bahujan Samaj Party is predicted to win 14-18 seats.

The Congress is also set to face a drubbing in Madhya Pradesh, where it is expected to win just 2-6 seats out of 29. Opposition BJP is likely to finish with 21-25 seats. In Rajasthan, the poll predicts 10-14 seats for both the national parties, although the figure suggests a big decline for the Congress. In 2009, it had won 20 out of 25 seats in the state as against the BJP's four.

The results in Maharashtra are not likely to change much. The Congress and its allies are expected to win 23-27 seats (out of 48) while the BJP and its allies are likely to get 18-22 seats. The MNS could be a decisive factor in the state, the poll said.

The above mentioned states have 399 Lok Sabha seats in total. In 2009, the Congress and its allies got 164 out of those 399 seats. In the next general polls, their tally is expected to touch 123 at the most (the party is no more in alliance with the TMC and DMK) in those states.

Source: OneIndia

Hung Lok Sabha Predicted as NDA-UPA Fall far Short in 2014 Polls

The CNN IBN-The Hindu Election Tracker poll conducted by the CSDS while suggesting gains for the BJP and losses for the Congress has predicted a badly hung Parliament.

NDA may get more seats than UPA, but parties outside the two fronts will get over 200 seats. The general election, if held now, would throw up a badly hung Parliament with both the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance around a 100 seats short of a simple majority of 273.

Indeed, over 200 seats could go to political parties, currently not part of either the Congress-led UPA or the BJP-headed NDA.

The CNN-IBN-The Hindu Election Tracker poll conducted by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), that paints this unsettling picture, says that though both the major electoral formations will get 29 per cent of the vote share each, the NDA will be ahead with anything between 172 and 180 seats and the UPA behind with 149 to 153 - in short, a gap of 22. The BJP’s score, up from 2009, would be in the range 156 to 164; the Congress’s tally, 131 to 139, down from the last general elections.

These figures for the two principal parties, however, need to be viewed with some caution. One, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, the North-east (barring Assam) and the Union territories (barring Delhi) that account for 32 Lok Sabha seats (of which the Congress currently has 16, the BJP seven) were excluded from the CSDS survey that was conducted across 18 major States.

Two, the Congress that recently tied up with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in Jharkhand is likely to acquire an electoral partner in Bihar — and perhaps, in West Bengal — closer to the elections. Three, the political picture will alter in Andhra Pradesh if the UPA government announces a separate state of Telengana ahead of May 2014.

Meanwhile, on the leadership question, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, not surprisingly, is the most popular choice for Prime Minister.

But it is the current incumbent, Dr. Manmohan Singh, who emerges as the "most liked" leader in the country, despite falling levels of satisfaction with his government, with price rise, corruption, terrorism - in that order - being the chief grouses of the respondents. Yet of 13 Congress, BJP and regional leaders, Mr. Modi stands at number five in the "most liked"category, behind Dr. Singh, Gandhian activist Anna Hazare, Congress activist Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

In a table of potential Prime Ministers, Mr. Modi polls highest with 19 per cent, with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi second with 12 per cent. But in a direct face-off between the two men — were they to be named as the prime ministerial candidates of their respective parties — the BJP leader would be just two percentage points ahead of his younger Congress adversary, 33 per cent to 31 per cent, with each mopping up the votes of party colleagues.

However, the respondents say that when they will cast their votes, considerations about the party and the local candidate will weigh more than the leader.

Source: TheHindu

CSDS-CNN-IBN Election Tracker Survey: For UP-Maddhya Pradesh-Rajasthan

According to the CSDS-CNN-IBN Election Tracker survey, the BJP has a lot to cheer as the party is expected to give a tough fight to the Congress in Rajasthan to consolidate its position in Madhya Pradesh. Whereas in Uttar Pradesh, the party is on a comeback trail and is likely to bag the largest number of seats.

Source: ibnlive.in.com

CM Narendra Modi Dares UPA to Call Early Elections

Narendra Modi challenged the UPA government into calling early general elections. The chief minister of Gujarat said The UPA government was so weak in pushing the economy upwards that it had even failed to hold early polls.

Modi was speaking at the fourth edition of the Zee Market Analyst Awards held in the city on Wednesday. The awards ceremony took place in Ahmedabad for the first time where industrialists and stock market experts took part. More than 25 awards were given away by Modi at the event. Mahindra and Mahindra, Nirma, Reliance Industries and Adani Group also won awards for their special contribution to the economy.

At the end of the award ceremony, Modi, also the BJP campaign committee chief, gave a stirring speech in which he said that sentiments were weak both in the stock market and the country’s economy. And, he blamed the UPA government for not framing the right policy to boost the economy.

"Government has to take decisions. But, in case of the UPA, it has been nine years since the government has not taken any decision to solve the problems. It seems there is a competition between the UPA government and the Indian rupee as to which is falling faster. Since the UPA has come to power, the rupee has depreciated from the level of 44 against dollar to the level of 60," he said.

Narendra Modi felicitates Zee Business India's Best Market Analyst Awards 2013

Recently, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said: "Paise ped pe nahi ugta (Money does not grow on trees)." Against that, Modi answered that in Gujarat, while money is grown by farmer on farmland, worker grows money at factory and a labourer generates money through his effort. "For this, one needs the right policy. That’s why money is grown in farms and factories," he said.

After Modi's speech, presenting the vote of thanks, the chairman of Zee Group, Subhash Chandra, said Zee Business's biggest analyst award should go to none other than Modi. He also thanked Gujarat and Ahmedabad for hosting the event, which has always happened in Mumbai.

Source: DNA

Modi will be an issue in 2014 Lok Sabha Polls: Congress

The Congress has officially accepted that Narendra Modi is going to be an issue in 2014 Lok Sabha elections and urged its partymen to gear up to face the challenge upfront.

Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tewari addressing party spokespersons today on the concluding day of the party’s communication workshop urged them "not to be diffident" but to hit back, taking strength from the party's "secular credentials".

Tewari had been asked on how to tackle the challenge posed by Modi who is now BJP's face for the general elections. The minister indicated that corporates are using television channels to project Modi in the larger than life image.

Tewari reportedly said, "Ranvijay" (one who wins the battle) and not "Ranchhod" (one who runs away from the battlefield).

Tewari who was tasked with briefing parymen on preparedness for the electronic media and how to address press briefings, reminded the participants of the fives Cs--Courage, Conviction, Candour, Content and Convenience (comfort with languague or medium) before they disseminate the party's viewpoint before the press or at the social media.

Source: BS

BJP Forms 12 Member Elections Committee-20 Sub Panels for 2014 Lok Sabha Polls

The 2014 election campaign committee and the sub-committees will work under the overall "guidance" of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and party president Rajnath Singh.

BJP 12-Member Central Election Campaign Committee:

Narendra Modi (Chairman), Murali Manohar Joshi, M Venkaiah Naidu, Nitin Gadkari, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar, Thawar Chand Gehlot, Ramlal, Shivraj Singh Chouhan (CM MP), Raman Singh (CM Chhattisgarh) and Manohar Parrikar (CM Goa).

BJP 20 Sub-Committees (Campaign Panels):

* Manifesto Committee: MM Joshi (Lead), Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha, former Himachal Pradesh CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, Sushil Kumar Modi, Shahnawaz Hussain and VK Malhotra.

* Publicity Campaign Committee: Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley (Lead), Amit Shah.

* Delhi Assembly Elections in-Charge: Nitin Gadkari (Lead), Navjot Singh Sidhu.

* Vision Document Panel: Nitin Gadkari (Lead), Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.

* Charge-sheet against UPA Panel: Ravi Shankar Prasad and Gopinath Munde (Lead), Nirmala Sitharaman, Kirit Somaiya, Meenakshi Lekhi and Arti Mehra.

* Online Campaign Panel: Piyush Goyal.

* Leaders' Rally Panel: Ananth Kumar and Varun Gandhi.

* Panel for Emerging Youth Population: Amit Shah, Poonam Mahajan, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Trivendra Rawat.

* Communities Mobilise Support Panel: Murlidhar Rao (Lead), Vinay Katiyar, Shyam Jaju, and Vijay Sonkar Shastri.

* Professionals Approach Panel: Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Prakash Javadekar.

* Booth-level Party Workshops Panel: Thawar Chand Gehlot, JP Nadda, Purushottam Rupala.

* Crowd Sourcing Panel: Dharmendra Pradhan and Rameshwar Chaurasia.

* Plays and Folk Songs Campaign Panel: Smriti Irani, Captain Abhimanyu and Vani Tripathi.

* Unorganised Workers and Nationalist Organizations Campaign: Nitin Gadkari (Lead), Uma Bharati, CP Thakur, JK Jain, Kalraj Mishra, Kiran Maheshwari and Mridula Sinha.

* Booth-level Strengthening Panel: Ramlal (Lead), V Satish and Saudan Singh.

* Social Media Panel to Woo Young and Urban Voters: Piyush Goyal (Lead), BJP's IT and Communications Cell.

* Party Literature, Pamphlets and Booklets Preparation Panel: Balbir Punj, Prabhat Jha, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and Sudha Malleya.

* North East States Panel: SS Ahluwalia, Tapir Gao, Kiren Rijuju and Padmanabh Acharya.

* Top Leaders Travel and Campaign Programmes: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Anil Jain and Arun Singh.

Modi Gets RSS Nod to Raise Ram Temple Issue in 2014

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has endorsed BJP poll campaign chief Narendra Modi's plan to raise the Ram temple issue in a big way in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

This understanding emerged in a one-on-one meeting - lasting two-and-a-half hours - between Modi and Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters here on Tuesday evening, sources said.

The RSS also indicated to Modi that it could consider him as the prime ministerial candidate if the BJP-led NDA comes to power in the 2014 general elections.

Bhagwat told the BJP leader that without compromising on the Ram temple issue, the party should emphasise the development agenda in the run-up to the elections, the sources said.

Though senior RSS functionaries, including general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi, were present at the RSS headquarters, the Sangh preferred one-on-one discussions between Modi and Bhagwat.

Ramlal, the powerful BJP general secretary (organisation), who is the linkman between the RSS and the BJP, was called into the meeting for a few minutes and asked to convey the outcome of the talks to all senior BJP leaders.

Modi, who arrived here from Odisha, met the RSS leadership for the first time after his elevation as the BJP's poll campaign chief last month.

The Gujarat strongman met other senior Sangh leaders, including RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi, after his talks with Bhagwat.

Source: HindustanTimes

BJP's Book-My-Show for Narendra Modi Rally-Pay Rs.5 in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: In an attempt to signal its confidence in Narendra Modi's popularity, the BJP has decided that anyone who wants to attend his rally in Hyderabad next month will have to pay Rs.5. The party says the money raised will be donated to help in the relief and rehabilitation efforts for Uttarakhand, which was mangled by torrential rains and landslides last month.

The BJP says that while other parties pay people to ensure large audiences for their leaders, Mr Modi is such a large draw that he can amass crowds despite an entry fee.

The party has booked the Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad for August 11 for its star speaker. The venue can accommodate 30,000 people. The BJP expects a lakh to attend.

The event is being billed as a "youth rally" targeting a demographic of 18-40. Mr Modi addressed students at Pune's famous Fergusson College over the weekend; a few months ago, he addressed Delhi's prestigious Shriram College of Commerce or SRCC where descriptors of the youth like "new-age power" received rave reviews from many students.

Online Registration For:

Narendra Modi Rally in Hyderabad

In the last few days, however, his comments have provoked strong censure. In an interview on Friday, he appeared to suggest that he was comparing the communal riots of Gujarat in 2002 to the running over of a puppy - he said he felt "sad" over the violence just the way one would feel "bad" when a car runs over a puppy.

He tweeted later: "In our culture every form of life (including puppies) is valued and worshipped." But critics remain unappeased.

On Sunday, at a Pune rally, Mr Modi said the Congress seeks refuge in a "burqa (veil)of secularism" to cover up its many failures. The Congress retaliated today that "the burqa of secularism is much better than naked communalism."

Source: NDTV.Com

Modi Addresses Youth at Fergusson College & BJP Public Meeting in Pune

Shri Narendra Modi Addresses Youth at Fergusson College, Pune	Shri Narendra Modi Speaks at BJP Public Meeting in Pune

Interview with BJP Leader Narendra Modi by Reuters News Agency

Interviewed By Ross Colvin and Sruthi Gottipati:

Narendra Modi is a polarising figure, evoking visceral reactions across the political spectrum. Critics call him a dictator while supporters believe he could make India an Asian superpower. (Read a special report on Modi here)

See Full Interview Video: Reuters spoke to Modi at his official Gandhinagar residence in a rare interview, the first since he was appointed head of the BJP’s election campaign in June. Here are edited excerpts from the interview. The questions are paraphrased and some of Modi’s replies have been translated from Hindi.

Is it frustrating that many people still define you by 2002? People have a right to be critical. We are a democratic country. Everyone has their own view. I would feel guilty if I did something wrong. Frustration comes when you think "I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught." That’s not my case.

Do you regret what happened?
I’ll tell you. India’s Supreme Court is considered a good court today in the world. The Supreme Court created a special investigative team (SIT) and top-most, very bright officers who overlook oversee the SIT. That report came. In that report, I was given a thoroughly clean chit, a thoroughly clean chit. Another thing, any person if we are driving a car, we are a driver, and someone else is driving a car and we’re sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will it be painful or not? Of course it is. If I’m a chief minister or not, I’m a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad.

Should your government have responded differently?
Up till now, we feel that we used our full strength to set out to do the right thing.

But do you think you did the right thing in 2002?
Absolutely. However much brainpower the Supreme Being has given us, however much experience I’ve got, and whatever I had available in that situation and this is what the SIT had investigated.

Do you believe India should have a secular leader?
We do believe that … But what is the definition of secularism? For me, my secularism is, India first. I say, the philosophy of my party is ‘Justice to all. Appeasement to none.’ This is our secularism.

Critics say you are an authoritarian, supporters say you are a decisive leader. Who is the real Modi? If you call yourself a leader, then you have to be decisive. If you’re decisive then you have the chance to be a leader. These are two sides to the same coin … People want him to make decisions. Only then they accept the person as a leader. That is a quality, it’s not a negative.

The other thing is, if someone was an authoritarian then how would he be able to run a government for so many years? … Without a team effort how can you get success? And that’s why I say Gujarat’s success is not Modi’s success. This is the success of Team Gujarat.

What about the suggestion that you don’t take criticism?
I always say the strength of democracy lies in criticism. If there is no criticism that means there is no democracy. And if you want to grow, you must invite criticism. And I want to grow, I want to invite criticism. But I’m against allegations. There is a vast difference between criticism and allegations. For criticism, you have to research, you’ll have to compare things, you’ll have to come with data, factual information, then you can criticize. Now no one is ready to do the hard work. So the simple way is to make allegations. In a democracy, allegations will never improve situations. So, I’m against allegations but I always welcome criticism.

On his popularity in opinion polls
I can say that since 2003, in however many polls have been done, people have selected me as the best chief minister. And as best chief minister, it wasn’t just people from Gujarat who liked me, not like that. People outside of Gujarat have also voted like that for me. One time, I wrote a letter to the India Today Group’s Aroon Purie. I requested him – "Every time I’m a winner, so next time please drop Gujarat, so someone else gets a chance. Or else I’m just winning. Please keep me out of the competition. And besides me, give someone else a shot at it."

Allies and people within the BJP say you are too polarizing a figure
If in America, if there’s no polarization between Democrats and Republicans, then how would democracy work? It’s bound (to happen). In a democracy there will be a polarization between Democrats and Republicans.

This is democracy’s basic nature. It’s the basic quality of democracy. If everyone moved in one direction, would you call that a democracy?

But allies and partners still find you controversial Up till now, no one from my party or the people who are allied with us, I’ve never read nor heard any official statement (about this from them). It might have been written about in the media. They write in a democracy … and if you have any name that this person is there in the BJP who said this, then I can respond.

How will you persuade minorities including Muslims to vote for you?
First thing, to Hindustan’s citizens, to voters, Hindus and Muslims, I’m not in favour of dividing. I’m not in favour of dividing Hindus and Sikhs. I’m not in favour of dividing Hindus and Christians. All the citizens, all the voters, are my countrymen. So my basic philosophy is, I don’t address this issue like this. And that is a danger to democracy also. Religion should not be an instrument in your democratic process.

If you become PM, which leader would you emulate?
The first thing is, my life’s philosophy is and what I follow is: I never dream of becoming anything. I dream of doing something. So to be inspired by my role models, I don’t need to become anything. If I want to learn something from Vajpayee, then I can just implement that in Gujarat. For that, I don’t have to have dreams of (higher office in) Delhi. If I like something about Sardar Patel, then I can implement that in my state. If I like something about Gandhiji, then I can implement that. Without talking about the Prime Minister’s seat, we can still discuss, that yes, from each one we have to learn the good things.

On the goals the next government should achieve Look, whichever new government comes to power, that government’s first goal will be to fix the confidence that is broken in people. The government tries to push a policy. Will it continue that policy or not? In two months, if they face pressure, will they change it? Will they do something like — an event happens now and they’ll change a decision from 2000?

If you change decisions from the past, you will bring the policy back-effects. Who in the world will come here?

So whichever government comes to power, it would need to give people confidence, it should build the trust in people, “yes, in policies there will be consistency”, if they promise people something, they will honor that promise, they will fulfil. Then you can position yourself globally.

People say economic development in Gujarat is hyped up
In a democracy, who is the final judge? The final judge is the voter. If this was just hype, if this was all noise, then the public would see it every day. “Modi said he would deliver water.” But then he would say “Modi is lying. The water hasn’t reached.” Then why would he like Modi? In India’s vibrant democracy system, and in the presence of vibrant political parties, if someone chooses him for the third time, and he gets close to a two-third majority then people feel what is being said is true. Yes, the road is being paved, yes, work is being done, children are being educated. There are new things coming for health. 108 (emergency number) service is available. They see it all. So that’s why someone might say hype or talk, but the public won’t believe them. The public will reject it. And the public has a lot of strength, a lot.

Should you be doing more for inclusive economic growth?
Gujarat is a state that people have a lot of expectations from. We’re doing a good job, that’s why the expectations are high. As they should be. Nothing is wrong.

On indicators like malnutrition, infant mortality Infant mortality has improved tremendously in Gujarat, tremendously. Compared to every other state in Hindustan, we are a better performing state. Second thing, malnutrition, in Hindustan today, real-time data is not available. When you don’t have real time data, how are you going to analyse?

We do believe in inclusive growth, we do believe that the benefits of this development must reach to the last person and they must be the beneficiary. So this is what we’re doing.

People want to know who is the real Modi – Hindu nationalist leader or pro-business chief minister? I’m nationalist. I’m patriotic. Nothing is wrong. I’m a born Hindu. Nothing is wrong. So, I’m a Hindu nationalist so yes, you can say I’m a Hindu nationalist because I’m a born Hindu. I’m patriotic so nothing is wrong in it. As far as progressive, development-oriented, workaholic, whatever they say, this is what they are saying. So there’s no contradiction between the two. It’s one and the same image.

On Brand Modi and people behind the PR strategy
The western world and India – there’s a huge difference between them. Here, India is such a country that a PR agency will not be able to make a person into anything. Media can’t make anything of a person. If someone tries to project a false face in India, then my country reacts badly to it. Here, people’s thinking is different. People won’t tolerate hypocrisy for very long. If you project yourself the way you actually are, then people will accept even your shortcomings. Man’s weaknesses are accepted. And they’ll say, yes, okay, he’s genuine, he works hard. So our country’s thinking is different. As far as a PR agency is concerned, I have never looked at or listened to or met a PR agency. Modi does not have a PR agency. Never have I kept one.

Source: Blogs.Reuters.Com

Congress will not Declare Rahul Gandhi as PM Candidate: Digvijay Singh

NEW DELHI: The Congress will not declare Rahul Gandhi as its Prime Ministerial candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, senior party leader Digvijay Singh hinted on Friday while dismissing suggestions that BJP's projection of Narendra Modi is a challenge to it.

He also did not say whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could be a candidate for the top post once again if the party wins next year's elections.

"We do not have a presidential form of government. Congress party does not declare PM or CM candidates before elections...Even in the Karnataka Assembly elections, we had not declared any CM candidate," Singh told PTI in an interview.

He was replying to questions why Congress was diffident about projecting Rahul Gandhi, why it should not project him and who is the PM candidate of Congress.

Singh also gave indications that the Congress was not averse to doing business with the Left after the next elections and apprehended that the advent of Modi could lead to communal polarisation in the polls.

Asked about BJP's elevation of Modi as its election campaign chief, just a step short of announcing him the prime ministerial candidate, Singh said, "We are not concerned. It is not an issue with us. BJP is free to take any decision. We are in the politics of ideology and not personality...Congress party does not believe in the politics of polarisation." Asked as to whether RJD was its natural ally in Bihar, Singh said it was for the Antony Committee to decide.

The fact remains that RJD chief Lalu Prasad was supporting the Congress President and the Congress even before 2004, he said.

To a query about the poll-plank of Congress for 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he said, "Our campaign theme will be on the basis of the work done in the last ten years and the work we will be doing in the next five years."

"UPA-II has managed to give a sustained growth even in the worst economic crisis the world is facing. UPA pumped more money in lot of development schemes that led to high spending in rural areas," Singh said.

He also rejected suggestions that UPA II's image suffered a jolt and cited Congress victories in assembly elections in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, the states it wrested from the BJP.

"If the image is so badly hit, why the votes of Congress increased in every election post 2009 except in Goa and Bihar.

"While the Congress has added more than 100 seats in the earlier tally in the Assembly elections, BJP has lost not only states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, but also lost more than 90 seats since the last Lok Sabha election," Singh said.

Asked about UPA allies DMK and TMC deserting the alliance, he said that in a coalition whether be it UPA or NDA, there have been instances of allies, which had been initially supporting the government, leaving the coalition and there is nothing new in that.

Source: EconomicTimes

Narendra Modi to Contest 2014 Lok Sabha Polls from Gujarat, UP?

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP’s poll campaign and strategy committee chief Narendra Modi is most likely to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from two states, reports said on Thursday.

If sources are to be believed then the firebrand BJP leader will be contesting the 2014 General Elections from two Lok Sabha constituencies, one in Gujarat and the other in Uttar Pradesh.

Party sources claim that BJP’s parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is keen on Modi contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from Uttar Pradesh.

The RSS central leadership believes that it is important for the party to remain focussed on politically significant states like Uttar Pradesh, if the BJP aims to dislodge the Congress government from power at the centre.

That’s probably the reason why the RSS acted as a peacemaker between Modi and BJP veteran LK Advani, when the latter resigned from all party posts in the wake of Gujarat chief minister’s elevation as the party’s poll panel chief.

Another reason why the RSS wants Modi to contest and get elected from Uttar Pradesh is his growing criticism that he is only a leader of Gujarat and not acceptable outside his state.

Interestingly, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh.

Modi's close aide and former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah, who is the BJP’s in-charge for UP, has been given the responsibility to find the best possible option for Modi.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has taken a swipe at Modi and said that he is free to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from anywhere in Uttar Pradesh but not welcome in the SP-ruled state.

Replying to questions on speculation that Modi would contest from Lucknow or Varanasi, Yadav said: "He is free to contest from anywhere in the state though he is unwelcome as the people of Uttar Pradesh are peace-loving and would not like to be divided on communal lines."

Yadav has been critical of Modi, calling him a "media creation" and one who was divisive in his politics. Yadav had recently slammed a section of the media for giving undue publicity to Modi. He had said that the media ignored development in other states.

BJP leaders say that Yadav is rattled at the prospects of the "Modi juggernaut" rolling into Uttar Pradesh as it would imperil Yadav's Muslim vote bank, which would then be divided between the SP and the Congress.

With a history of tactical voting by Muslims in the state, even SP leaders are not ruling this out.

Yadav's SP has 22 MPs and the party is working to increase the number. He has repeatedly expressed his ambition to become the prime minister.

Source: ZeeNews.com

Narendra Modi to be Formally Named BJP's PM Candidate at End of July

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi will be formally named BJP's prime ministerial candidate by July end, ending all ambiguity on his projection as the party's face for the next general elections and setting the stage for a direct contest between the Gujarat chief minister and Congress scion Rahul Gandhi.

The party's parliamentary board will make an announcement to this effect, a person familiar with the matter said, adding that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the party's ideological mentor, had conveyed its backing for Modi to senior BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi.

RSS, which is currently holding a three-day meeting in Amravati, will complete the conversations with its various offshoots on Modi's projection as the prime ministerial candidate, added the person, who did not wish to be named.

Modi all but became BJP's unannounced face last month after his anointment as the chief of the party's national campaign committee. However, Advani's public opposition to Modi's anointment had led to some talk that BJP could refrain from formally projecting the chief minister ahead of the 2014 general elections.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, however, last week told Advani that the Sangh would go along with the overwhelming support for the Gujarat chief minister's bid. At the same time, the Sangh bosses assured Advani that his concerns over decision-making in BJP would be addressed by the party leadership. Modi, who is set to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, a seat currently held by Murli Manohar Joshi, is seen by his supporters as a candidate capable of swaying voters in the urban and fast-urbanising pockets across the country.

BJP's strategists believe the ruling Congress, which fared well in these seats in the 2009 polls, will lose out because of concerns over its governance and handling of the economy. "These votes, along with an above-par performance in our traditional strongholds, will significantly improve BJP's tally. This will help us overcome the limits of numbers," said a BJP leader, who did not wish to be named.

Modi's campaign will, therefore, focus on governance issues, drawing on his successful record as Gujarat's chief minister for 12 years, a period that has won him praise from several quarters for his administrative competence and achieving high growth rates. BJP leaders, who are in the process of sharpening the campaign message, said the party would not be distracted by the attempts to put Modi into an ideological straightjacket.

Modi is expected to be part of a sizeable share of the 100 major campaign rallies planned by the party after monsoon. He has already directed the state units to complete mobilisational efforts for these rallies by August-end.

A major realignment of forces is unlikely before the elections and the post-poll scenario will be decided by the numbers that the two national parties manage to win, the BJP leader said, adding that the rivalry between regional players will push them towards the party.

Source: ET

BJP Names Amit Shah to Mobilise Youth through Social Media

New Delhi: In a bid to tap the sizable youth population of the country ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP has given the task of mobilising them through social media to general secretary Amit Shah.

BJP president Rajnath Singh, in consultation with the party's Parliamentary Board which met on Thursday, decided to give the responsibility of reaching out to potential voters, especially the youth, through social media to Shah.

Shah, a close associate of BJP Election Campaign Committee chief Narendra Modi, has been a part of the poll campaign team of the Hindutva posterboy in Gujarat. Modi ran a strong campaign on social media like Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.

Interestingly, general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy has been given the task of reaching out to people through radio campaigns.

Murlidhar Rao will be responsible for mobilising the youth, including the party cadre, across the country. General secretary Dharmanedra Pradhan, general secretary (organisation) Ramlal and Rajnath Singh's political advisor Sudhanshu Trivedi have been given the charge of organisational mobilisation and holding meetings of workers and office bearers belonging to the lower rungs.

BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will be responsible for preparing the "chargesheet" on the failures of the UPA government as well as the campaign material.

JP Nadda has been given the charge of mobilising professionals like doctors, engineers and the like across the country.

General secretaries Ananth Kumar and Varun Gandhi are also likely to be given important responsibilities.

Former BJP president Nitin Gadkari may be given the charge of poll-bound Delhi and Rajasthan.

Some important announcements are likely on July 8 when the Parliamentary Board meets again.

Source: ZeeNews.com

NDA to gain but UPA not far behind: The Week Magazine Survey

New Delhi: A survey by The Week magazine has predicted that NDA will win in 197 seats, UPA in 184 seats while other parties will get a total of 162 seats in the Lok Sabha polls next year.

As per the survey, whose sample size was not given, UPA's vote share will come down to 31.7 per cent from 37.2 per cent in 2009 Lok Sabha polls while NDA's vote share will go up from 23.3 per cent to 26.7 per cent in the general election next year.

The vote share of other parties which was 39.5 per cent in 2009 will go upto 41.6 per cent.

The survey said 32 per cent people felt Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will be the best Prime Minister followed by Manmohan Singh (15 per cent) and Rahul Gandhi (13 per cent).

Eight per cent people opined that Sonia Gandhi would be the best Prime Minister while five per cent each supported Mayawati and L K Advani for the top job followed by Mulayam Singh Yadav (4 per cent), Nitish Kumar (3 per cent) and Mamata Banerjee (3 per cent).

On who will be the best person for the post of Prime Minister among BJP, the survey said 56 per cent supported Narendra Modi while L K Advani got support of 15 per cent followed by Sushma Swaraj (10 per cent), Rajnath Singh (4 per cent) and Nitin Gadkari (3 per cent).

Among the Congress leaders, 39 per cent of those surveyed felt Rahul Gandhi will be best person for the top job while 25 per cent supported Manmohan Singh and 18 per cent supported Sonia Gandhi. Five per cent of those surveyed supported P Chidambaram as PM while three per cent supported A K Antony.

Asked if Third Front leads the Government then who will best suited for the job, 19 per cent supported Nitish Kumar while Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee got support of 14 per cent of those surveyed.

60 per cent of those surveyed said political parties and alliances should announce their PM candidate well in advance while 26 per cent thought otherwise.

74 per cent respondents felt elections should be held in May 2014 as per schedule while 19 per cent said polls would be held early.

Asked about the crucial issues, 21 per cent said uplift of poor while 17 per cent were of the view that providing basic facilities like water, electricity and roads will be the main issue.

13 per cent felt price rise will be another key issue.

Source: ZEENews.com

BJP may Field Narendra Modi from Varanasi to Win over Uttar Pradesh

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi is likely to contest the next Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, a move that points to the strategy of BJP's presumptive prime ministerial candidate to help the party recapture its lost ground in the Hindi heartland.

Confirming the choice of the holiest of cities for Hindus, after months of speculation over constituencies, including Lucknow and Allahabad, a senior leader said the Gujarat chief minister was willing to step out of his comfort zone to make a larger impact by contesting from the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats. The constituency is currently held by former BJP president Murli Manohar Joshi, who is likely to be offered an alternative seat as he makes way for Modi.

BJP, which had won just 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2009 polls, is banking on a campaign around Modi in the state, said the leader, who did not wish to be named.

The state had swayed in BJP's favour in the 1990s when the party approached the electorate with the message of Hindutva, but it has steadily slipped out of hand.

Upper Caste Voters: This was after the ascendancy of the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. The Congress' meltdown that helped the BJP's growth in the last decade has been working in favour of the two regional outfits. But with Modi entering the fray in Varanasi, BJP's strategists expect the upper caste voters to return to the party fold, especially since both the SP and the Congress aggressively woo the numerically preponderant Muslim community in the constituency.

"The upper castes, which had gravitated to other outfits, will get a new option with the BJP coming up with a credible face in the state after a long time. Modi's candidature will increase our capacity to reach out," said a BJP leader, adding that the party will also get an opportunity to flaunt Modi's identity as a leader from the Other Backward Classes. "The non-Yadav backward voters that supported the BJP in the past will also find Modi appealing," the leader said, pointing to Bihar, where the BJP is using the same ploy to undercut JD (U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's hold over the community.

Modi, who has been struggling to live down the anti-Muslim riots under his watch in Gujarat in 2002, has fashioned his campaign around good governance and economic development. BJP's strategists, however, believe the subtext of communal and caste appeal will resonate with the party's traditional voters in not just Uttar Pradesh but the entire Hindi heartland.

Modi's candidature can be troublesome for the ruling SP, which is eyeing the entire chunk of Muslim votes, a BJP strategist said, reasoning that in a direct combat between the BJP and the Congress, the Congress could emerge as a claimant for the community's votes.

Source: EconomicTimes

Dotcom Poster Boys Set to Steer Modi's Internet Drive for 2014 Election

BANGALORE: Narendra Modi has enlisted India's original dotcom poster boys Rajesh Jain and BG Mahesh to drive his social media campaign in the run-up to next year's general elections.

Jain, who famously sold IndiaWorld to Sify for Rs 499 crore triggering a dotcom rush in the late '90s, and Mahesh, who founded IndiaInfo and OneIndia, are putting together a 100-member content and technology team in Bangalore to drive Modi's internet campaign.

The 2014 Lok Sabha elections will not be the first in India's history to be fought in the era of social media, but it will certainly be the first national-level polls to be conducted since social media came of age. India's more than 140 million users, which political analysts say is Modi's core constituency, is the fastest-growing internet traffic globally.

And no matter which side of the fence you're on, there's no getting away from the fact that Modi's social media cache is higher than anybody else's in the land - certainly higher than the Congress's.

In 2010, Jain's Netcore acquired Mahesh's Greynium Information Technologies, the owner of Indian language portals OneIndia, and classifieds business click.in and the two are using their cumulative internet and business acumen to push Modi to power.

Rajesh Jain declined to comment on the story, while Mahesh could not be reached despite repeated efforts.

Jain, an Indian web industry pioneer, is well-known to be a BJP supporter. "He has committed his life to the BJP. He has made all the money he wanted to, and he wants to use it to get this party to power.

He is also extremely internet savvy, and if he's driving his social media campaign, it would not surprise me at all. Rajesh has been thinking this way since 2006, if not earlier," says a veteran Bangalore-based writer and communications consultant, who worked with Jain in the past on a mobile solutions company.

Jain and Mahesh are widely reported to have been on a recruitment drive to seed Modi's social media campaign with relevant content. "I got a call from Mahesh a month ago asking if I want to join Modi's social media campaign," said a 32-year-old media consultant in Bangalore, who didn't wish to be named.

Jain's popular blog makes no bones about his support for the party or for Modi. A post from early 2012 says: "It has to be a '275 election', which means one of the national parties (Congress or the BJP) needs to get majority on its own. The approach one has to take to get to 275 is very different from trying to get to 160-175 seats... At a basic level, all parties are probably similar, even as ideologies and approaches differ. What will change the discourse is the leadership the parties put on offer. In this context, I want to see how I can help the BJP get to 275."

Source: TOI