Meerut-Rally: Tense Officials Keep Eye on Narendra Modi Fans

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Narendra Modi's upcoming rally in Meerut on February 2 has sent the administration into a tizzy, grappling as it is with the aftermath of the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar five months ago and fears possible hooliganism by supporters of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate after the gathering.

The district administration has summoned up extra forces to keep an eye on convoys of Modi's supporters when they return to their native villages after the rally, a police official said on the condition of anonymity, adding that a repeat of September 2013 could not be ruled out since the riots at that time involved violence by Jats who were returning from a mahapanchayat near Muzaffarnagar.

Meerut-Rally: 02-Feb Narendra-Modi Live

Modi has eschewed contentious issues such as his party's resolve to construct a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in his speeches in Uttar Pradesh, focusing instead on developmental issues. However, the police administration is taking no chance as Gujarat chief minister Modi continues to face political charges of inaction and worse during the 2002 anti-Muslim riots on his watch despite being exonerated by the courts.

"It is not Modi but the Modi-effect on an aggressive Hindu community here that we are worried about," the official involved with the preparation said. "This district has already seen one of the worst instances of communal violence last year. And our force has faced severe criticism for it, so we do not want a repetition of this bawlapan (madness)." Members of the Muslim community say the police should take all precautions to maintain order.

"Last year's violence was an anomaly in the history of this sugarcane belt which fought off rioters even during the post-Partition days together," said a Muslim shopkeeper in Shahpur who did not wish to be named.

Source: The Economic Times

Mumbai Police Chief Satyapal Singh Resigns-May Join BJP to Fight LS Polls

Mumbai: In an unprecedented move, Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh on Thursday tendered his resignation to Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil.

Singh is the first Mumbai commissioner of police to quit.

Speaking to Zee Media, Singh put a confirmation stamp on the reports of his resignation. He said he put in his papers to do something big for the nation. He, however, declined to reveal his plans.

According to reports, Singh is likely to join BJP to contest the Lok Sabha election either from Uttar Pradesh or Mumbai. Reports added that Singh had been in talks with party president Rajnath Singh and former party president Nitin Gadkari regarding his chances to contest the Lok Sabha polls as a BJP nominee from Uttar Pradesh.

Other reports claim that Aam Aadmi Party has also approached Singh.

Notably, Singh is due for retirement in 2015.

Patil has forwarded the resignation of the Mumbai police commissioner to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Source: ZeeNews

BJP Leaders to Join Narendra Modi's 'Chai-Pe-Charcha' Campaign

NEW DELHI: Starting sometime in the first week of February, senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party such as Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley as well as the party's heavyweight chief ministers in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, will start frequenting tea stalls to discuss politics with locals.

The unusual stopovers will be part of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's new campaign, Chai Pe Charcha, which is hoping to stir up a political tempest via tea stalls.

Modi will address and take questions during the high-tech campaign that will be broadcast live at 1,000 tea stalls across 300 parliamentary constituencies.

BJP is expected to contest in less than 400 constituencies in the upcoming general elections. The campaign centred around tea stalls is meant to take Modi's message to the hub of local political chatter in India and remind people of his own humble origins as a tea vendor.

The campaign also aims to turn the classist jibes made about Modi's tea-boy background by rival politicians in recent weeks to his advantage. The initiative is also inspired by the ground-level engagement provided by Aam Aadmi Party's Mohalla Sabhas.

Modi's interactive sessions will follow a 'share-ask-suggest' format, a person familiar with the preparations said. In a typical two-hour session, Modi will speak for 25-30 minutes, listen to suggestions on constituency specific or policy-specific issues for 45 minutes, and interact with the widespread audience for the next 45 minutes. To enable a distributed videoconferencing experience, the organisers, Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), are deploying a hybrid technology that combines DTH broadcast, high speed Internet and satellite uplink.

CAG is a volunteer organisation managed by key Modi aide Prashant Kishor. In every tea stall, there will be two stand mounted flat screen televisions. Videocon's DTH-integrated television sets are being used for the service. So the company will get a marketing slot below the TV sets. A webcam and high-speed Internet dongles will provide interactivity at most places.

In locations where the audience will get to ask pre-selected questions, an entire TV crew, complete with an outdoor broadcasting van or other live satellite uplinking facility, will be present. In each session, questions will be taken from 15-20 locations. The entire session will also be webcast on Modi's official website.

In some of the sessions, Modi will ask the audience to suggest solutions to public policy issues such as education, healthcare or transportation. Modi will also request people to continue to interact with him through Facebook.

For this, 316 constituency specific pages have been created. These pages, with the format 'With NaMo, for X constituency' will act as a hub for live polls, discussions on candidates, etc. Modi will also subsequently interact on these pages, the person familiar with the plans said.

The 316 constituencies where Facebook pages have been created are those with at least 50,000 social media users. Currently these pages appear to have each reached a few hundred users, but that might change as Modi stirs the pot with the campaign. The audience will also be encouraged to share suggestions through SMS and WhatsApp messages, which will also scroll on the screen live during the sessions.

The Modi camp will be hoping that the tea stall strategy can boost the conversations around BJP's PM candidate.

Source: Economic Times

Rahul Gives Green Light to Congress-Lalu Alliance for 2014 Elections

New Delhi : The Congress has finally tied knots with Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal and Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections after the state leaders convinced Rahul Gandhi that CM Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal(U) cannot stop the juggernaut of the Bhartiya Janata Party in the state.

Rahul had reservation to enter into alliance with Lalu Prasad because of his conviction in the fodder scam and his consequent disqualification from the Lok Sabha under a Supreme Court judgment. He forced withdrawal of an Ordinance brought by the government to save Lalu from losing the Lok Sabha membership. Lalu is now out on bail granted by the Supreme Court.

The alliance with Lalu may dent Rahul’s claim that he was against the politics of corruption, but he understood the electoral compulsions than to stand on his principles, the party sources said.

Banking on Lalu regaining sympathy votes from his imprisonment that may enable him to fair much better than Nitish Kumar and his continuous support to the UPA government weighed on Rahul to approve the alliance on Saturday. Rahul was also told that Nitish displayed dictatorial tendencies that has dipped his popularity while he will also lose the upper caste votes he gained due to the past alliance with the BJP.

With Rahul’s nod, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh rushed to Patna on Sunday and sewed up the seat-sharing formula with Lalu and Paswan. The RJD will contest for the highest 22 of the 40 seats in the state, while the Congress will contest for 11 and LJP for six seats. One seat of Katihar is left for Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and union minister of state for agriculture Tariq Anwar to contest. It will be thus a triangular contest between this alliance, JD(U) and BJP.

Lalu Prasad called on Rahul on Monday and thanked him for the agreement on the alliance. This was their second meeting in fortnight. Lalu suggested the care that the Congress should take in selection of its candidates.

An alliance of the three parties romped home 29 of the 40 seats in 2004 elections. The alliance fell through in 2009, making the BJP-JD(U) alliance carry away 32 seats. It is another matter that the Congress could win only two seats, with and without alliance, in the two elections. The RJD had bagged 23 seats and LJP 4 in the 2004 elections while the RJD”s number slumped to just 4 and LJP drew blank in 2009.

Source: FreePressJournal.in

Modi Factor Propels the Rise of BJP-RSS in West Bengal

Kolkata: The Narendra Modi wave seems to have reached the Bengal shores, indicated by the more than two-fold increase in the membership of the BJP's state unit. A BJP leader in West Bengal claimed that the total membership has increased from 3 lakh in 2011 to more than 7 lakh in 2013.

Two lakh new members have enrolled in the last six months, which party leaders have attributed to Modi's anointment as the prime ministerial candidate.

The ABVP, youth wing of the BJP, too witnessed a surge in its membership with the enrolment of 45,000 new activists in the last one year, BJP spokesperson and co-in-charge of the party's Bengal unit Siddhinath Singh told PTI. He further claimed that the BJP's minority and women's wings too witnessed a 50 per cent jump in membership.

Singh said, "Two factors are responsible for the expanding BJP membership in West Bengal: Declaration of Modi as PM candidate by the party and the lack of an opposition worth the name in the state." The senior BJP leader noted that such enthusiasm had previously been witnessed on two occasions. First, during the Ram Mandir agitation in the early 90s and during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's rule at the Centre.

"The charisma of Modi working in the entire country is also having its impact in Bengal and we will prove it during Modi's rally in Kolkata on February 5," Singh asserted. The BJP and the RSS have traditionally never been able to make much of an impact in West Bengal, though the party's former avatar Jan Sangh was co-founded by the son of the soil, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee.

The 27 per cent Muslim community in the state, which wields a considerable influence in at least 140 Assembly constituencies out of 294, plays a key role in the power sweepstake, courted aggresively by all frontline political parties.

With a real Opposition missing in West Bengal after the fall of the mighty Left in 2011, the BJP has been slowly working to make its presence felt, especially in the rural areas of south Bengal taking help of Modi's rising graph. This was reflected in the 2012 Lok Sabha by-poll in Jangipur in Murshidabad district where the BJP candidate polled an impressive 85,867 votes, nearly 10 per cent of the total votes cast representing an eight per-cent rise over votes polled in 2009.

While President Pranab Mukherjee's son Abhijit won by a paper-thin margin of 2,500 votes in the by-poll, the BJP candidate stood third. This was significant considering the constant 3-6 per cent votes it had bagged over the last two decades, except in 1991-92 when the vote share of the BJP dramatically rose to nearly 16 per cent riding piggyback on the Ram Mandir issue.

BJP state president Rahul Sinha said, "The vote share of the BJP decreased after it allied with the Trinamool Congress in 1998-99. But after the Left parties suffered a rout in the 2011 Assembly election, voters are looking for a new Opposition which can checkmate the Trinamool Congress."

The panchayat and the municipal polls in 2013 are also marked by a rise in the BJP's vote share and narrowing down of the margins of loss of BJP candidates. A breakthrough was the defeat of Left candidate and Mayor Mamata Jaiswal at the hands of BJP's Gita Rai in the municipal polls in Howrah.

The popularity of the BJP can also be sensed from near about 425 applicants from various strata of society who have expressed their desire to contest as BJP candidates in 42 Lok Sabha seats in the coming Lok Sabha polls. BJP's ideological twin RSS too has been making steady inroads in south and north Bengal with the grievances and alleged minority appeasement policies of the ruling party playing a role.

He cited the instance of grant of allowance to 30,000 imams of the state, which has been termed by the Calcutta High Court as unconstitutional. The expansion of the RSS was first noticed by a three-day youth workshop of the organisation in the state last year after a gap of 20 years under the leadership of its chief Mohan Bhagwat, followed by an increase in the number of shakas/branches in every part of the state.

An RSS official said, "The RSS has been growing in the last two and a half years. In south Bengal now we have 280 sakhas and in north Bengal we are presently having more than 700 branches." The BJP and RSS expansion has been grudgingly admitted by both the ruling Trinamool Congress and Left parties.

CPI leader AB Bardhan said, "Yes, there is a rise of BJP and RSS in West Bengal." He, however, sought to put the blame for it on the TMC and its "soft" approach towards the saffron party and a "covert" pact with the communal forces. He dismissed the contention that the BJP was trying to fill the space left vacant by the retreating Left parties.

"We also have reports of increase in the support base of the BJP and RSS in Bengal, but that is not due to absence of a strong opposition," CPI(M) central committee member Basudeb Achariya said. He referred to both BJP and TMC's soft-pedalling each other, asking "can you show a single issue on which the BJP has run a campaign against Trinamool?"

TMC MP Sultan Ahmed, however, claimed, "CPI(M) supporters are switching over to the BJP as their mother party is in a disarray thus explaining the BJP and RSS' rise."

State Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya told PTI, "I don't agree with what BJP is claiming. It will be proved in the coming Lok Sabha election." Muslim cleric Maulana Barkati agreed to the contention that lack of a strong opposition in West Bengal is resulting in the rise of the BJP and the RSS. "The state is ruled by a secular government and not by atheists like the communists; so the BJP and other parties with religious leanings are having their space. It is a good sign for democracy," Barkati said.

Source: IBN Live

ABP News-Nielsen Opinion Poll:BJP to Get 210+ Seats in 2014 Election

Key Points: ABP News-Nielsen Survey * There is a strong wave of Narendra Modi all over India. * NDA will get 226+ seats and UPA will get 101 seats only. * BJP alone will get 210 seats while Congress will get only 81 seats. * There is no presence or impact of AAP except Delhi. * 53% of total respondents voting for Narendra Modi as most preferred prime ministerial candidate.

The BJP is set to emerge as the single-largest party with the highest-ever score of 210 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, while Congress will hit the lowest-ever mark with 81 seats, according to the ABP News-Nielsen national opinion poll.

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party is predicted to get around 11 seats, the survey said. It has predicted that NDA will form the government at the Centre with an overall 226 seats. Narendra Modi is the most preferred prime ministerial candidate with 53 per cent respondents voting for him. Rahul Gandhi is the choice of 15 per cent respondents.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal got nod from five per cent of the respondents. As per the opinion poll, a majority (47 per cent) of respondents do not think that the allegations levelled against Modi regarding illegal surveillance of a young woman are true. 36 per cent respondents feel that the central government's decision to probe snoopgate is not right.

It says that there is an anti-incumbent mood with majority (61 per cent) saying that the UPA government should not get another chance. As per the opinion poll conducted across the nation, 43 per cent respondents have rated UPA government performance as 'poor' or 'very poor' with a mean score of 2.69.

Source: One India

Copycat Congress: Rahul Gandhi ad Comes with Narendra Modi Slogan

A startled Narendra Modi woke up on Friday morning to see newspapers splashed with a new Congress ad campaign pitching Rahul Gandhi ahead of the general elections with a tagline used by him sometime back.

The ad featured the Congress vice-president with the phrase ‘Main Nahin, Hum’ (Not I, we) in bold, the very words used by Modi during his ‘better administration’ drive in Gujarat three years ago.

As red-faced Congress was left to explain the goof-up, a photograph of the BJP's prime ministerial candidate addressing a meeting in Mehsana in February 2011 with the phrase emblazoned behind him, identical down to the comma, surfaced soon after.

Dentsu India, the agency that created the ad, refused to comment, on account of a confidentiality clause in its contract with the Congress party.

It had won a Rs500-crore contract, along with JWT, for this campaign, warding off stiff bids from leading agencies such as Rediffusion Y&R, Crayon, Percept/H, Grey Group, and Madison World.

The Congress had more reasons for being embarrassed. This was a solo ad projecting Rahul Gandhi, unaccompanied by his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi or Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

It was supposed to be part of a mega campaign to position him as a people's politician in the face of Narendra Modi's "tea vendor vs shehzada (prince)" chant and Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi appeal, party sources said.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said, "They (the Congress) are copycats. They are in desperation and are ready to go to any extent."

But, by Friday evening, information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari was ready with a stout defence: "The discourse over the past six months evidences that the BJP's prime ministerial aspirant has an ostensible proprietary right over the words 'I, me, myself', while the partnership that has transformed the country over the past 10 years provides the Congress and the UPA a legitimate claim over the word 'we'."

Congress spokesperson Shoba Oza said, "The slogan is not anyone’s parental property.”

Source: Hindustan Times

2014 Election-Tracker: BJP Firm on Mission 272+, Congress Wears Out

Countdown for the Lok Sabha elections 2014 has already started and it won't be an exaggeration to say that the UPA and the Congress in particular are in dire straits. What is apparent is that despite an inkling of the impending disaster, the Congress has so far been unable to arrest this downslide. The BJP's announcement of its prime ministerial candidate in Narendra Modi is only making matters worse for the ruling Congress.

The unfolding national picture showed that if the general elections are held today the NDA alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and Akali Dal will get between 211-231 seats as per the Lokniti, CSDS-IBN National Tracker survey. The Congress-led alliance UPA, including NCP, Kerala allies and JMM, will get anywhere between 107-127 seats.

In the last Lok Sabha elections in 2009, the Congress had won 206 seats while the BJP 116. Among other significant parties, the Trinamool Congress is expected to win between 20 and 28 seats, the AIADMK between 15 and 23 seats and the Left Front between 15 and 23 seats. The Samajwadi Party, which is now acting as the life support system for UPA 2, will get 8-14 seats. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is likely to get 10-16 seats in a January poll. Despite all the noise, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party will only get between 6-12 seats if it goes national.

"There is cause for celebration as you have given us seats beyond 200. As a political activist it is nice to see numbers come in our favour but we also need to ensure that my nose is to the ground and increase our vote share. There is clearly an anti-UPA and anti-Congress mood in the country," BJP spokesperson Smriti Irani told CNN-IBN during a panel discussion.

Irani also said that in the remaining days the BJP will target the absolute majority mark of 272 seats in a house of 543.

"We are absolutely sure of reaching the 272 mark on our ow in our Mission 272+. We are not thinking about alliances now," she said. The BJP spokesperson admitted that the Narendra Modi factor has been a great boost.

"People are looking for decisive leadership. We are extremely jubilant with the response of Modi's rallies be it Gorakhpur or Goa. Modi has a proven track record and a vision for India and he is the biggest political leader in India at present," Irani said. Firstpost's editor-at-large, Dhiraj Nayyar agreed that the response to Modi has been phenomenal.

"Modi has captured the imagination. The increasing shift towards the BJP has happened more after he was declared as their prime ministerial candidate. In fact, the youth of the country are not looking into the age of the leader but into the message. That's why even though Rahul Gandhi is 20 years younger than Modi he is not making enough impact," Nayyar said.

Although the Nationalist Congress Party, or NCP, found it difficult to believe what the survey revealed, it accepted that the Congress is in trouble. However, the Maharashtra based party reaffirmed its allegiance to the national outfit. "All the 2004 surveys were proved wrong despite their predictions that Atal Bihari Vajpayee would return to power.

The actual result was that Congress and its allies won. We are firm ally of the UPA," said NCP spokesperson DP Tripathi. But the NCP leader had a word of advise for the national party particularly for its lack of coordination with allies. "Congress has to learn to be united with its allies. After the poll defeat, Congress admitted that they need introspection politically and organisationally.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has himself admitted that the party is in crisis. The important thing is to see whether the solutions they are taking are right or wrong," Tripathi said. The New Indian Express, editorial director, Prabhu Chawla also blamed Congress' ally problems as one of the main reasons for its trouble.

"The broken allies have harmed the Congress more. On its own, the party's vote share has actually come down just 1.5 percent than its 2009 tally. The vote loss in Andhra Pradesh is a major factor for the party. The party is also suffering a lot in Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where the BJP has made massive gains," Chawla said.

Columnist Pushpesh Pant felt that the BJP gains in Uttar Pradesh were also because of the mistakes of Samajwadi Party government in the state. "People will vote in large numbers for the BJP because of poor performance by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. This is a bad time for Yadavs. All OBCs are uniting against Yadavs," Pant said, delivering a caveat.

Lokiniti Network national convener, Sandeep Shastri highlighted on the all-round loss of the Congress. "Across groups save in the case of Muslims, Dalits and tribals the BJP is ahead of the Congress in the whole country," Shastri said. Like the NCP, the Trinamool Congress, which has turned out to be the third largest party as per the study, also did not quite agree with the findings.

"We are seriously disappointed by the numbers shown by the survey. The ground reality is very different. In our assessment, we are winning 32 seats and we are playing only for 10. The Mamata Banerjee government which is halfway through has reached out to the grassroots," said Trinamool Congress spokesperson and MP Derek O' Brien. Brien did not spill out the beans on his party's strategies when asked about possible alliances. "Now our focus is only on winning as much seats as possible. On the so-called alliances, the focus will be after 15 May.

For now, we believe we will be able to win 42 seats in West Bengal and Mamata Banerjee will have a decisive role to play in Delhi," he said. What was interesting to watch was the Aam Aadmi Party's approach in the debate despite being set to get a paltry 6-12 seats as per the national projection. "Both the Congress and BJP are afraid of us.

Let us put up our candidates and begin our campaign. It is not the time to decide who is No.1 or No. 2 enemy. It is a fight against corruption and misgovernance. The BJP is not an alternative of the Congress. I don't see any difference between BJP and Congress policies except for communalism and secularism. AAP is now the central point of political discourses," said AAP spokesperson Ashutosh.

BJP's Irani was quick to respond. "The AAP is officially a part of the corrupt UPA combine which the people will reject," she said.

Source: First-Post

BJP-led NDA Set to Top-Reaching 272 Mark Rapidly in Lok Sabha Polls:Survey

The BJP-led national National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will emerge as the biggest formation in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but will fall short of getting the majority mark of 272, an opinion poll by the Headlines Today said on Thursday.

The poll gave the ruling Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) 98-108 seats and predicted other parties would get 223-233 seats, indicating they would have a major role to play in government formation.

The poll by C-Voter gave 188 seats in the Lok Sabha to the BJP - which would improve on its best showing of 183 seats in 1999 - under its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. The saffron party had bagged 116 seats in the 2009 general elections.

The Congress would get 91 seats, down from the 206 in 2009, according to the poll.

Two other television channels termed the BJP the biggest gainer in Uttar Pradesh, but saw the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) making inroads in Delhi on its Lok Sabha debut.

While an opinion poll by CNN IBN-CSDS said the BJP would get 41-49 of UP’s 80 seats (the highest among states), an ABP News-Nielsen poll gave the saffron party 35 seats.

The BJP had won 10 seats in UP in 2009 and the projected gains would be significant as it seeks to dethrone the Congress at the Centre.

The polls see UP powerhouses, the ruling Samajwadi Party and opposition Bahujan Samaj Party, being reduced to 10 to 15 seats.

Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP has 22 Lok Sabha seats and Mayawati’s BSP 21. Both parties extend outside support to the UPA government.

The Congress which had performed well in UP in 2009 with 21 seats, will fare badly, according to the polls. The CNN IBN-CSDS gave it 4-10 seats and ABP News-Nielsen 12.

After a stellar performance in the Delhi assembly elections last year, the AAP is set to win 4-6 of the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, according to the CNN IBN-CSDS survey.

In Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the BJP will gain as well. According to the Headlines Today poll, BJP will get 21 (4 in 2009) of the 25 seats in Rajasthan; and 22 (16 in 2009) of the 29 seats in MP.

In the assembly polls last year, the BJP ousted the Congress in Rajasthan with a landslide win and comfortably retained MP, with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan scoring a hat-trick of wins.

The Headlines Today poll sees the saffron party being the biggest gainer in Bihar, where it lost ally Janata Dal (United) following Modi’s elevation.

The poll said the BJP will get 22 seats as compared to 12 in 2009. The party will gain at the cost of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s JD-U, which is projected to get 4 seats (20 in 2009).

The Lok Sabha elections are due by May.

Source: Hindustan Times

Modi-Wave may Work in UP-MP:India Today-CVoter Jan-2014 Opinion Poll

The general elections in Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, might not throw as many surprises as expected. The India Today-CVoter Mood of the Nation opinion poll predicts that the Bharatiya Janata Party will top the tally in the state with 30 seats and not as many as the party expects. In the rest of the North, the scene is bleak for the Congress too.

The survey says that the Modi phenomenon is working across UP and the party's vote share will go up by almost 10 per cent. If the party can increase vote share further, the BJP can sweep the state. The Modi phenomenon has made inroads into rural areas as well. And if the Gujarat chief minister decides to contest from UP, the party could win even more seats.

However, for the time being, the saffron party's dream of benefiting from a polarised Hindu vote remains distant as regional satraps rule the roost with a firm grip of their traditional vote banks.

The Samajwadi Party is likely to win 20 seats, which is a loss of three seats compared to its 2009 tally of 23. Mayawati-led Bahujan Samajwadi Party which hopes to benefit from a dithering minority vote, at the expense of the SP, is projected to end up with 24 seats with a gain of just four seats over its 2009 position.

The Congress, however, is likely to emerge as the clear loser as the survey shows it might have to make do with just four seats, a fall of 17 seats from its 2009 tally of 21. Despite the high-voltage campaign of AAP's Kumar Vishwas, Rahul Gandhi currently faces no danger in Amethi.

The other clear loser is the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal which might see its Jat vote bank receding due to the Muzaffarnagar riots which polarised Hindu votes in the region. The poll projects just one seat for RLD, a loss of four from its 2009 tally.

In Madhya Pradesh, the poll predicts results no different from the recently-concluded Assembly elections. Except for strongholds of Congress stalwarts like Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh, the Congress fortunes plummet across the state.

With the gap in the vote share of the BJP and the Congress widening significantly, Madhya Pradesh could well work out as the next Gujarat and become a saffron bastion.

Further, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been able to tap into the Dalit vote bank of the Congress and the BSP and giving the BJP bigger margins.

The poll projects BJP winning 22 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state. This is an increase of six seats from its earlier tally of 16.

The Congress falls to just 6 seats from its earlier 12.

While there is no wave of Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party in UP and MP, it is a clear winner in Delhi. The poll projects it might win five of seven Lok Sabha seats here with the BJP bagging the remaining two. According to the poll, the Congress might not open its account here.

Senior leaders like Kapil Sibal and Ajay Maken are expected to lose. The only seat where the Congress is still in contest is East Delhi, the seat held by Sandeep Dikshit, the son of former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit.

In Haryana, the BJP is likely to win 6 seats with Congress, AAP, INLD and HJC sharing one each. However, in Haryana, AAP is set to register impressive gains. While AAP is expected to pick up 21 per cent of votes here, it is currently bagging only one seat. The party has strong chances of winning Gurgaon and Chandigarh (Union Territory) seats.

In Punjab, the poll predicts an even battle with the Congress likely to win 6 seats while the Shiromani Akali Dal (5) and BJP (2) combine winning seven. However, AAP is also seen as making inroads here. If Manpreet Singh Badal joins hands with AAP, then in the long term the alliance has the potential of becoming a significant player in the state.

In Himachal Pradesh, the corruption charges levelled against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh are expected to hurt the party's prospects badly in the Lok Sabha polls. The BJP is expected to bag 3 of the 4 LS seats in the state.

In Uttarakhand, the BJP is projected to win four seats while Congress may win one. In Jammu and Kashmir, BJP is likely to win both its traditional Jammu seats. In the Valley, the PDP is projected to win two while both NC and Congress end up with one each.

Source: IndiaToday

UP Poll-Tracker: BJP Set for Massive Win, Bag 41-49 Seats (IBN7-CSDS Survey)

Lucknow: All eyes are on Uttar Pradesh (UP) which has the largest number of Lok Sabha seats. The state has 80 Lok Sabha seats and has always played a major role in government formation at the Centre. As the Narendra Modi wave gathers momentum in North, Central and West India, UP also seems to be going the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) way once again after 15 years.

Riding high on the Modi charisma, the BJP is likely to score big and win 41-49 seats according to the seat projections by Chennai Mathematical Institute's Director Professor Rajeeva Karandikar. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is projected to win 10-16, Samajwadi Party (SP) 8-14, Congress 4-10 and other parties may bag 2-6.

According to Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll, the BJP is likely to get 38 per cent votes in UP making it the single largest party in the state. In a multi-corner contest, 38 per cent vote share can lead the party to sweep a large number of seats. The ruling SP is likely to get 17 per cent of votes.

Even the main opposition BSP is expected to get just 17 per cent of votes. The Congress may garner 16 per cent, the AAP 5 per cent and others 7 per cent votes in the state.

The previous BSP government of Mayawati is now rated much better than the present Akhilesh Yadav government. It is also viewed more favourably by the OBCs and Muslims compared to six months ago. Overall 42 per cent respondents feel that the BSP government was better. It includes 39 per cent OBCs and 32 per cent Muslims, traditionally the backers of the SP.

Two thirds of the respondents have heard about Muzaffarnagar riots. The awareness is very high in Western UP and the lowest in Eastern UP. Muzaffarnagar is in Western UP.

Overall 64 per cent have heard about the communal riots which claimed many lives. Most Muslims are dissatisfied with the response of both the state and central governments on Muzaffarnagar riots. While 45 per cent blame the SP for the riots, 13 per cent blame the BJP for the riots.

Congress voters are equally supportive of a possible alliance with both SP and BSP. However, more SP supporters favour an alliance with the Congress than the BSP voters.

SP Government Unpopular

The dissatisfaction level with the ruling SP has risen in the last six months and 41 per cent respondents are unhappy with it. However, 50 per cent respondents claim that they are happy with CM Akhilesh Yadav and 40 per cent say they are not happy with him.

Six out of 10 voters are against re-electing the SP government if Assembly elections are held in January 2014.

The UPA at the Centre is also very unpopular in UP. Over 44 per cent people say they are unhappy with it. Dissatisfaction with Manmohan Singh's performance as the PM has also risen in the last six months in UP.

Modi Leads PM Race in UP

BJP's Narendra Modi is the most preferred choice of the voters for the post of PM in UP. He has the backing of 35 per cent voters as against just 12 per cent for Rahul Gandhi.

Mayawati has 11 per cent and Mulayam Singh Yadav has got 10 per cent support in the state for the PM post. AAP's Arvind Kejriwal has got 4 per cent support.

Narendra Modi is most popular in Eastern UP and Doab regions and least popular in Western UP closer to Delhi. In Western UP, he has got just 24 per cent backing. In Eastern UP, Modi has got 41 per cent backing.

Modi is hugely popular among upper castes and some OBCs. A total of 60 per cent Brahmins, 59 per cent Jats, 52 per cent Rajputs, 49 per cent Kurmi-Koeris, 35 per cent Yadavs, 25 per cent SCs and 11 per cent Muslims back Modi for the PM post.

Source: IBN Live

Rajasthan Election-Tracker: BJP Set to Rout Congress, Win 20-24 Seats (CSDS-Survey)

Jaipur: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept Rajasthan by winning more than three-fourth of the seats in the December 2013 Assembly elections and is likely to continue its victory march in the Lok Sabha elections too. The ruling party is all set to decimate the Congress once again and win 20-24 seats in the state, according to the seat projections by Chennai Mathematical Institute's Director Professor Rajeeva Karandikar.

The Congress has been virtually wiped out and is likely to win 0-2 seats if Lok Sabha elections are held in January 2014 while other parties may get 1-3 seats in the state which sends 25 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

While BJP is expected to get a record 54 per cent of the votes in the Lok Sabha elections, Congress, which just suffered a humiliating defeat, is likely to shrink further in the Lok Sabha elections, getting just 33 per cent of the votes according to Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll. In the July 2013 tracker, both BJP and Congress were neck-and-neck with 44 per cent votes each.

Rajasthan is likely to remain a two-party state with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and others projected to get 3, 4 and 6 per cent votes respectively.

Modi Gets Credit for Assembly Victory

Unlike neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, where more than 80 per cent respondents give credit of the victory in Assembly election to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in Rajasthan more people credit the Assembly victory to BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

While 27 per cent respondents give credit to Modi, just 12 per cent give credit to the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Overall, 49 per cent give credit to both and among the BJP voters, it is 52 per cent.

The respondents are divided over Vasundhara Raje's decision to induct two tainted BJP leaders in her newly sworn-in Cabinet. More people oppose it than support it. However, many respondents have no opinion on it.

UPA Unpopular

The dissatisfaction with the UPA government's performance has risen in the state and 54 per cent respondents are unhappy with the UPA government at the Centre.

Modi Leads PM Race

Narendra Modi is leading the PM race with a huge 48 per cent backing in the state. He has widened his lead over Rahul Gandhi, who has got 23 per cent backing. Arvind Kejriwal has got 4 per cent backing for the PM post.

Source: IBN Live

Madhya Pradesh Poll-Tracker: BJP to Win 23-27 Seats, Congress 2-5 (CSDS-Survey)

New Delhi: After a huge victory in the recently held Assembly elections, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is projected to deliver one more massive victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections.

The ruling BJP is expected to get 23-27 seats if elections are held in January 2014 according to the seat projections provided by Chennai Mathematical Institute's Director Professor Rajeeva Karandikar.

The Congress is likely to win 2-5 seats in the state which has 29 Lok Sabha seats. In 2009 the Congress won 11 seats and the BJP got 18.

As per the Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll the BJP is expected to get 51 per cent votes while the Congress is projected to get 29 per cent votes. The BSP, AAP and others are likely to get 5 per cent, 3 per cent and 12 per cent votes respectively.

When asked to choose between Narendra Modi and Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the post of PM, more people are now favouring the former. A total of 46 per cent respondents back Modi as against 30 per cent for Chouhan.

But 80 per cent respondents feel that the credit of BJP's victory in the Assembly elections should go to Chouhan and not Modi. Only 5 per cent give that credit to Modi.

Like most of India, the UPA at the Centre is unpopular here too with 42 per cent respondents unhappy with it and only 37 per cent feel that UPA is good. A total of 59 per cent of the respondents feel that the UPA government should not get another chance while 50 per cent respondents are satisfied with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 42 per cent are dissatisfied with him. His popularity ratings are better than his government's popularity ratings.

Modi Leads PM Race

In Madhya Pradesh, Modi's popularity has seen a massive rise and 54 per cent respondents have answered that they want him as the PM. Rahul Gandhi has got 21 per cent backing and Chouhan has got 3 per cent backing for the post of PM. LK Advani has zero backing for the post of PM in the state.

Source: IBN Live

Gujarat Poll-Tracker: Modi-led BJP to Win 20-25 Seats, Congress 1-4 (CSDS-Survey)

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi looks unstoppable in his home state of Gujarat. The state has been a BJP bastion for the last two decades is likely to stay the same if Lok Sabha elections are held in January 2014.

The state sends 26 MPs to the Lok Sabha and as per the seat projections provided by Chennai Mathematical Institute's Director Professor Rajeeva Karandikar, the BJP will win 20-25 seats, Congress 1-4 and others 0-2. In 2009, the BJP won 15 seats and the Congress 11 seats.

According to the findings of Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll, he has got the backing of 53 per cent voters in the state. The Congress is expected to get just 32 per cent votes. The new kid on the block AAP is likely to garner an impressive 7 per cent votes and others are expected to get 8 per cent votes.

But the interesting thing is a drop of 3 per cent votes for Modi in the last 6 months. When the first national tracker poll was conducted in June 2013, he had the backing of 56 per cent voters. Modi was anointed by the BJP as its PM candidate in September 2013.

Huge Support for Modi as PM

Almost half of the Gujarat voters want Modi as PM with 46 per cent backing him in his endeavour. Rahul Gandhi has got 16 per cent votes for the post of PM while 5 per cent people prefer Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Anandiben Patel Leads CM Race

If Narendra Modi becomes the PM, senior minister in his Cabinet Anandiben Patel is the top choice to replace him as chief minister. She has got 12 per cent backing as against 8 per cent for the controversial Amit Shah.

Overall six out of 10 respondents have answered that Gujarat developed only under Modi or Gujarat's development was greater under Modi. Interestingly, one third of Muslim respondents, five out of 10 Adivasi (tribal) respondents and six out of 10 Dalit respondents also feel the same. Overall 30 per cent feel that Modi alone is responsible for the development of Gujarat.

There is a high level of satisfaction with the government among the people with 71 per cent respondents say that they are happy under Modi rule. Only 21 per cent respondents are unhappy with Modi's government.

Over two thirds of respondents are also happy with Modi's performance as the chief minister. An overwhelming 70 per cent of the respondents have answered that they are happy with him as CM. Only 22 per cent answered that they are unhappy with him as CM.

Pro-Modi mood is also on the rise in Gujarat with 54 per cent respondents want to give more chance to the BJP in the state, if assembly elections are held in January 2014. Just 18 per cent don't want the BJP to retain power in the state.

Like most part of India, the UPA government at the Centre is very unpopular in Gujarat. While 47 per cent respondents are unhappy with it, only 43 per cent feel that they are happy with it.

Moreover, 38 per cent respondents have answered that they are unhappy with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's performance. Although 48 per cent feel that he is good but the satisfaction with the PM was 54 per cent just 6 months ago.

In another setback for the UPA, 45 per cent respondents have answered that the present government at the Centre should not get another chance. Only 33 per cent respondents are backing it.

Source: IBN Live

Maharashtra Poll-Tracker: BJP-SS to Win 25-33 Seats, Cong-NCP 12-20 (CSDS-Survey)

New Delhi: The ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine in Maharashtra is heading for trouble with the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance making a strong comeback.

If Lok Sabha elections are held in January 2014, the Congress-NCP is likely to face a severe setback winning just 12-20 seats against 25-33 for the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. Other parties are expected to get 1-5 seats as per the seat projections provided by Chennai Mathematical Institute's Director Professor Rajeeva Karandikar.

According to Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll, the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance along with the Republican Party of India (Athvale) is likely to get 44 per cent votes as against 35 per cent for the Congress-NCP combine.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by Raj Thackeray is not expected to do well. It is projected to get just 2 per cent votes while 5 per cent respondents back the AAP, 4 per cent back the BSP and 10 per cent are favouring others.

Break up of Estimated Party Vote Shares

The BJP is the biggest gainer with 9 per cent more votes and is expected to get 36 per cent votes on its own. Clearly Narendra Modi is making a big difference in the state. BJP's ally Shiv Sena is losing 2 per cent votes and is expected to get 6 per cent votes. RPI (A) is likely to get 2 per cent votes.

The Congress is losing 8 per cent votes. It is now likely to get 29 per cent votes. There will be no change in the vote share of NCP which stays at 6 per cent. The BSP and MNS are also likely to lose their vote share.

One more worrying factor for the ruling combine is decreasing support for the Congress-NCP combine among its traditional supporters as 22 per cent feel that they should contest in the Lok Sabha poll separately.

Only 28 per cent respondents want the MNS to fight election in an alliance while 33 per cent feel that it should contest on its own. Most of the people who feel that the MNS should join an alliance feel that it should join BJP-SS-RIP (A) alliance. Only 8 per cent feel that it should go with the Congress-NCP.

Not Much Support for Vidarbha State Demand

Four out of 10 respondents have answered that they have not heard of the demand for a separate state of Vidarbha. Just 58 per cent have answered that they are aware of such a demand. Among the people who have heard of the demand, 30 per cent support it and 46 per cent oppose it.

One more interesting aspect of the survey is the Adarsh Housing Society scam. More than half of the respondents have answered that they have not heard of the scam. Nearly two thirds of those who are aware of the scam feel that state government's earlier decision to reject the probe commission's report was wrong. It includes many traditional supporters of the Congress-NCP.

Farmers are Unhappy

Most people including the farmers are unhappy with the way the state government is handling farmers' issues. The dissatisfaction is high in Western Maharashtra, which is the sugar bowl.

Overall 46 per cent are unhappy with the way the government handled the farmers' issues while 48 per cent respondents have answered that they are unhappy with the present government.

However, 50 per cent respondents feel that Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is good. But 57 per cent respondents have answered that they don't want to give another chance to the present government.

Like many other states, the UPA at the Centre is unpopular even in Maharashtra, 53 per cent feel that it is not a good government, 41 per cent respondents are unhappy with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 59 per cent respondents have answered that the UPA at the Centre should not get another chance.

Modi Leads PM Race

Like most states in India, even in Maharashtra, Narendra Modi leads the PM race with 40 per cent of the respondents backing him. Rahul Gandhi has got 14 per cent backing and Sharad Pawar has got 3 per cent backing. Arvind Kejriwal has got 4 per cent support.

Source: IBN Live

Chhattisgarh Poll-Tracker: BJP to Get 50 Per Cent Votes, Congress 34 (CSDS-Survey)

New Delhi: Chhattisgarh, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, seems to be backing it again in Lok Sabha elections. The BJP retained the state in the December Assembly elections by a narrow margin but just a month later according to Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll, the party is expected to get 50 per cent of the votes in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress which gave a tough fight to it in the Assembly elections is projected to get 34 per cent of the votes. The BSP, AAP and others are likely to get 4 per cent, 3 per cent and 9 per cent votes respectively if the elections are held in January 2014.

Chief Minister Raman Singh is credited with BJP's third straight victory in the state and 70 per cent respondents give the credit to him. A mere 3 per cent responded that Narendra Modi should get the credit.

Unlike neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the support for Modi as PM is slightly lower in Chhattisgarh. Even though Modi widens lead over Rahul Gandhi, only 28 per cent back him for the PM.

Rahul Gandhi has got 13 per cent support among the respondents. Raman Singh has got 4 per cent backing for the post of PM. A record 39 per cent of the respondents have no say on their preferred choice of the PM.

Unlike most parts of India, satisfaction with the UPA government has risen in Chhattisgarh in the last 6 months. While 44 per cent respondents are happy with the UPA, it was 36 per cent in June 2013.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's positive ratings have also gone up in the state with 51 per cent respondents having answered that they are happy with his performance as the PM. It was 40 per cent in June 2013.

The anti-UPA mood has also weakened slightly in the state.

Source: IBN Live

Narendra Modi Spells Out Vision for 2014 Lok Sabha Polls

It was one of the more memorable political speeches so far from any politician in the fray for elections 2014. Narendra Modi’s speech at the concluding day of the BJP national council in the Capital had the characteristic flourishes expected from the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

But he went much further outlining his vision for India post-2014. The substantive part of the speech came in the second half, the first devoted to the BJP brand of alliteration and rhyme that people have become familiar with. So we heard of the need not for bills but will and finally dil. He spoke of commitment as opposed to committees and the need for action, not acts — a dig at the Congress. If anyone expected the combative Mr Modi to ignore the ugly barb from Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar about his origins as a tea vendor, they were mistaken. He spoke of how tea vendors all over the country are now roaming proud.

The criticism against Mr Modi so far has been that he has not come up with any substantial election issue. This time he did. He put forward a grand vision for India, some of which may be wishful thinking but nevertheless progressive and holistic. The focus on a price stabilisation fund is bound to go down well at a time when people have been hard hit by rising prices.

He spoke of the need for health assurance, not health insurance, stressing on preventive healthcare. River interlinking and the spread of IITs, IIMs and AIIMs to all states were other ideas he came up with. In an acknowledgement to the Vajpayee era, he spoke of moving ahead from the former PM’s dream of a Golden Quadrilateral national highway project to improving the rail system by introducing bullet trains. Putting Brand India back on the map also drew loud cheers. He spoke of women moving from homemakers to nation builders.

Pumping up the crowds with his ‘idea of India’ mantras, he exhorted people to make sure they vote to give this ‘servant’ 60 months as opposed to the 60 years the Congress has had in power. Though he did refer to the Gandhi family now and again, the speech was befitting a PM candidate in delineating what can be expected of a BJP government, should it come to power.

The presence of the party’s successful chief ministers on the stage demonstrates that perhaps Mr Modi is trying to move beyond being a one-man show. If he builds on the ideas he has now put forward, the campaign for elections 2014 could well move from the slugfest it has been so far to one of ideas and meaningful debates on issues that really matter to voters.

Source: Hindustan Times

Bihar Poll-Tracker: BJP may Win 16-24 Seats, JDU 7-13, RJD 6-10 (CSDS-Survey)

Even though the BJP is the most preferred in the Lok Sabha polls, voters still back the JDU in the event of Assembly elections.

The break-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in June 2013 seems to have gone against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his party the Janata Dal (United). With the Narendra Modi wave sweeping the state, the JD(U) is likely to come a distant second to the BJP if Lok Sabha elections are held in January 2014 as per the Lokniti-IBN National Tracker poll.

Bihar has 40 Lok Sabha seats and the main opposition BJP is expected win 16-24 seats while JD(U) may bag just 7-13 seats. Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is likely to improve its tally by winning 6-10 seats. Congress is projected to win 0-4 seats as per the seat projections provided by Chennai Mathematical Institute's Director Professor Rajeeva Karandikar.

The Modi wave is clearly helping the BJP in the state and the party is likely to get 39 per cent of the votes. In 2009, it was just 14 per cent. The ruling JD(U) is likely to get just 20 per cent votes down from 24 per cent in 2009. The RJD is likely to get 15 per cent, the Congress 11 per cent, LJP 2 per cent, the AAP 3 per cent and others are likely to get 10 per cent of the votes.

While 26 per cent voters hold the JD(U) responsible for the break-up with the BJP, 20 voters feel that the BJP is more responsible with 39 per cent feeling that both are equally responsible for the split.

One more interesting thing is the opinion on possible alliances this time. JD(U)-BJP and Congress-RJD are seen as natural partners by their respective voters. A possible alliance between JD(U)-Congress has also got a fairly high support among their respective voters.

While RJD-Congress alliance has got 26 per cent support, JD(U)-Congress alliance has got 25 per cent support. But, JD(U)-BJP alliance is favoured by a huge 43 per cent of the voters. The sample size for Bihar is 1317.

As usual Bihar has a high level of political awareness. Eight out of 10 respondents have replied that they have heard about bomb blasts during Narendra Modi's rally in Patna while 51 per cent respondents including the Muslims blame Nitish Kumar for the security lapse during the rally. Overall, 45 per cent feel that Modi did the right thing by continuing with his rally even after the bomb blasts.

Nearly half of the respondents feel that Lalu Prasad has got adequate punishment for the fodder scam. Only 19 per cent feel that the punishment was too harsh while 46 per cent feel that it is adequate.

Even though the BJP is the most preferred party in the Lok Sabha polls, voters still back the JD(U) in the event of Assembly elections. While 38 per cent back the JD(U) in the Assembly polls, 23 per cent voters each back the RJD and the BJP respectively.

The JD(U) government's performance still gets a very positive rating with 59 per cent saying that it is doing very well. Nitish Kumar's performance as the Chief Minister is rated even better than the performance of his government. He has the backing of 63 per cent voters.

On the other hand, the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre is highly unpopular in Bihar. A massive 77 per cent respondents say that they are unhappy with the UPA. The UPA is not only extremely unpopular in Bihar, even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is disliked by 70 per cent of respondents.

Modi Leads in PM Race:

Narendra Modi is leading the PM race with 39 per cent votes in the state. Nitish Kumar has got the backing of just 15 per cent respondents while Rahul Gandhi has got 9 per cent and Lalu Prasad 11 per cent support. AAP's Arvind Kejriwal has got just 3 per cent backing.

Source: IBN Live

Narendra Modi is America's Other India Problem, says Time Magazine

Washington: After the "nasty spat" between India and US over an Indian diplomat, the emergence of Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate, may cause even more tension between them, according to Time magazine.

Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, whom US authorities charged with visa fraud involving her maid, has returned to India after being granted diplomatic immunity, the influential magazine noted in its upcoming January 27 issue.

"But don't expect the relationship to rebound quickly," Michael Crowley wrote suggesting: "In fact, the atmosphere could soon become even more tense - over a far more prominent Indian also embroiled in a visa controversy."

Suggesting that BJP "holds the edge" in the upcoming General Election by May, he said that "If the BJP prevails, Modi will be India's next Prime Minister.

"Yet he is persona non grata in the US," he noted "because of his alleged role in a horrific episode of sectarian violence in February 2002."

"Modi's critics say he condoned or even encouraged the violence - accusations he stoutly denies and for which no Indian court has found him responsible," Time noted.

In 2005, the State Department revoked Modi's visa under an American law that bars a foreign official who "was responsible for or directly carried out ... particularly severe violations of religious freedom," Crowley recalled.

"When Modi had no national profile, the restriction was inconsequential. But can Washington blacklist the leader of India?" he asked.

US policymakers are divided, he noted. "A resolution introduced in November in the US Congress calls on the State Department to continue denying Modi entry. It has attracted 43 congressional co-sponsors, including two Muslims."

"Realists, and US business leaders wishing to capitalise on Modi's openness to foreign investment, say his character should only be a footnote to Washington's wider relations with New Delhi," Crowley wrote.

"Should Modi win, the Obama Administration will be pressured by many at home and abroad to condemn his past and prevent him from visiting the US. But (President Barack) Obama has tended to subordinate principle to the national interest," he suggested.

Noting that "Over the years, the US has done business with plenty of unsavoury leaders, in countries far less friendly than India," Time said, "By revoking Modi's visa, the US government has made clear its view of him and the Gujarat rampage."

"But Washington's ties with New Delhi are too important to be confined through that prism if Modi becomes PM," it said, suggesting "Both countries need to step forward and not allow Modi's past to push them back."

Source: ZeeNews

After Congress 'Show' Biz, BJP Sure of Narendra Modi's Star-Value

NEW DELHI: A newly aggressive Rahul Gandhi holds no fears for Bharatiya Janata Party. At least that's what the main Opposition party's leaders are saying. And, they add, it's clear after Friday's day-long All India Congress Committee session in Delhi that the ruling party has little else up its sleeve that could possibly turn voters in its favour.

The decision not to field the Congress vice-president as the party's prime ministerial candidate was inevitable as Congress has accepted defeat. More than that, the forthcoming election will also mark the end of the Nehru-Gandhi family's primacy in Indian politics, according to BJP.

"The diminishing returns of a dynasty controlling a party are now visible. In 25 years, a Gandhi has not been the prime minister of this country. India, indeed, is changing. The Gandhis can control a party, but not the nation," BJP leader Arun Jaitley said in a post on his Facebook page.

According to BJP, Congress has conceded defeat even before the polls as it has lost its nerve.

Also, Rahul Gandhi has taken himself out of the race as he doesn't want to be directly pitted against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, goes the reasoning.

Congress has no fire in its belly, says Jaitley

"If there is no prospect of forming a government, why announce Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate!" Jaitley wrote. "Congress is losing the will to fight adversity. This was first visible in the Delhi assembly elections... There is no fire in the belly left to fight adversity."

Jaitley also lashed out at Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's reference to Modi's past as a tea seller.

"The strength of Indian democracy will be proved when a former tea vendor defeats a dynasty representative," Jaitley said. "Let this be the battle of 2014."

Aiyar had said, "In this...century, Modi will never become the PM. If he wants, we can set up a tea stall for him at the AICC meet."

BJP began targeting Gandhi on Thursday night itself, as it became clear that he wouldn't be named the Congress prime ministerial candidate. The campaign intensified on Friday.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Congress was entering the poll arena without a captain.

"Congress is silent on corruption," he said at a press conference. "He (Gandhi) has asked for three more LPG cylinders. If this was done earlier, Congress might have saved three states," Hussain said, referring to Rahul Gandhi's demand that the quota of subsidised cylinders be raised to 12 a year from nine. Congress lost elections in four out of five states recently.

At BJP's national executive meeting in Delhi on Friday, the reaction came swiftly as the decision became official, with Congress President Sonia Gandhi rejecting the demand to declare her son as the party's prime ministerial candidate.

"Defeat is writ large on Congress' face. Congress can see the writing on the wall," party president Rajnath Singh said at the meeting, according to spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

Jaitley added to this in similar vein: "It was nervousness in 2004 that kept the dynasty away. It is the prospect of defeat staring in the face, which is responsible for the reluctance to announce Rahul Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate in 2014."

Still, some BJP leaders said Rahul Gandhi's projection as prime ministerial candidate would have helped them as it would have drawn parallels with Narendra Modi. In a sense, BJP will now be boxing against a shadow, they said. BJP also retaliated sharply against Sonia Gandhi's accusations that it was playing "divisive" politics.

"Sonia Gandhi tells us we are communal. In whose regime were Sikhs burnt alive? Kashmiri pundits displaced? They party with the Muslim League, which was responsible for Partition. They are friends with Owaisi in Hyderabad. Congress is communal," Javadekar said.

He said the debate was not about secularism, but pseudo-secularism, development, governance and misgovernance.

Source: Economic Times

Modi's Pitch for Industry Leaders, to Meet 400 CEOs Today

New Delhi: Strengthening his pitch to India Inc, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi will address hundreds of CEOs in Delhi on Friday.

Modi is scheduled to speak at the Cyber Media ICT Business Awards which would be attended by nearly 400 industry leaders.

The BJP prime ministerial candidate will also hold a closed door round-table discussion with over 30 select CEOs.

Modi's address at Cyber Media ICT Business Awards comes a day after he spoke at a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry event where he tried to strike a chord with the industrialists.

Source: IBNLive

Congress Tense:Rahul Gandhi Reveals Priyanka Plan for 2014 Election

New Delhi: Putting an end to all speculations regarding Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's role in upcoming Lok Sabha election, Rahul Gandhi clarified that his sister will not contest in the poll.

Speaking to a Hindi daily, Rahul recently has been quoted as saying, "Priyanka is my sister, she is my friend. She is also an active worker of Congress. And so, she is helping to strengthen me and the organization. I don't think she would have an electoral role."

Recently, Congress leader Ajay Maken too said that Priyanka will campaign only in Amethi and Rae Bareli, the two constituencies in Uttar Pradesh represented by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively.

Congress sources, meanwhile, also said that Priyanka will monitor the Congress's campaigns across India. She may become the chief of Congress election campaign ahead of the elections.

Speculations over Priyanka's big role in Congress surfaced following her meeting with Congress senior leaders in the national capital.

Critics claimed that Priyanka should follow the footsteps of her grandmother and mother -- Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. Both Indira and Sonia had rescued Congress during its crisis.

Congress under the guidance of its vice president Rahul Gandhi's have been going through a tough phase. It failed to mark its presence during Bihar assembly election in 2010. Later it could not impress aam aadmi during Uttar Pradesh in 2012. Later it lost power in Delhi, Rajasthan. It could not even win elections in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

Source: OneIndia

Did Rahul just Call Narendra Modi ‘Aurangzeb’?

Sonia Gandhi famously called Narendra Modi a “maut ka saudagar” and has never lived down that remark. She made the comment in 2007 but it’s still brandished by her opponents as Exhibit A in rhetorical games of political tit-for-tat.

Now Rahul Gandhi has, perhaps unwittingly, come close to comparing Modi to Aurangzeb.

In an interview with Kalpesh Yagnik, national editor of the Dainik Bhaskar group, being touted as his first ever exclusive to a daily newspaper, Rahul mostly stuck to his usual bland pronouncements about democracy, empowerment and common people.

Except for this one little nugget of lessons from history. India has witnessed Samrat Ashok, Akbar and Aurangzeb. Ashok is famous for integrating people; Akbar too worked in this direction and this is why people take their name with great respect.

However, Aurangzeb is known for other reasons. On the same lines, Congress is working toward national integration and inclusive growth for everyone. Rahul’s clear that in his mind the Congress follows in the footsteps of the “inclusive” Ashok and Akbar.

He does not quite spell out who walks in the footsteps of Aurangzeb. But no prizes for guessing who might be the polarizing leader, the Voldemort who must not be named, he has in mind. (And no, it’s not Arvind Kejriwal.)

Now that’s quite a cunning stroke by the man Modi loves to call “shahzada” if indeed Rahul intended to draw blood there and did not just inadvertently blunder into it. Modi keeps using (and reinterpreting) history to make political points. Rahul has tried to pay him back in his own historical coin.

Modi has over and over again, with great calculation, made mocking references to the Delhi “durbar” and the “shahzada” as if the Gandhis are a continuation of some kind of Delhi sultanate. His use of “shahzada” as opposed to “yuvraj” for the Congress crown-prince is deliberate writes Firstpost’s Sanjay Singh: Though both Yuvraj and Shahzada have the same meaning, namely crown Prince, the connotation of the two terms, in modern parlance, vary in many parts of the Hindi heartland in North India.

Yurvraj is used to describe a legitimate crown prince while Shahzada is often used with a sarcastic tinge, to imply a brat. The Shahzada strikes back in the interview. Sort of. He does not show the uncharacteristic theatrical aggression demonstrated by his own Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he said “it would be disastrous for the country to have (Modi) as the prime minister” because he had “presided over a mass massacre of innocent citizens on the streets of Ahmedabad.”

Rahul seems to reserve his agression for tearing up Congress/UPA bills and proposals. In this interview he merely says that a Modi government would be “one-man centric” which would not be “good in the national interest”. It’s a rather odd argument coming from the leader of a party that has been unabashedly one-family centric and is now paying the price for that.

Rahul might have had dreams of turning the Congress into a party that was more about merit than dynasty. But for now his party’s wagon is firmly hitched to his star. Unfortunately for the party, Rahul is trapped in the very Indian projection of fake humility. While the party desperately looks to him for leadership, Rahul still pretends he’s just a loyal footsoldier: In our organisation, decisions are always made by senior politicians.

In the past also, such kind of decisions have been made by seniors. While claiming that “there is no such word as ‘reluctance’ in my life” he tries to project humility but manages to sound long-windedly reluctant instead: In the national interest, it is necessary that Congress forms the government at the Centre; and in this direction whatever responsibilities the organisation has given me, I will discharge them with utmost sincerity and honesty.

This humility would work if Rahul was demonstrating real results on the ground. What makes it especially difficult for the Congress is he also seems to willfully blind to the drubbing it has received in poll after poll lately trying to exude a sunny optimism when nothing in the recent electoral record warrants it: Congress is generally underestimated before each election including 2004 and 2009 elections.

However, the results were completely different. I expect the 2014 elections to be more exciting and I believe we will emerge victorious again. Rahul thinks the “BJP’s demand of Congress-free ‘Bharat’ is a vague idea”.

Actually it’s a very concrete and concise and easier to grasp than “national integration and inclusive growth for everyone”. And just because it’s sitting in government in Delhi propping up the Aam Aadmi Party, does not mean his party did not come perilously close to a Congress-free Delhi.

Source: FirstPost

Is Team Anna inching Closer towards BJP after Differences with AAP?

The open declaration of support for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi by prominent team Anna member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi triggered speculation on whether the veteran social activist and his associates are moving towards the saffron party.

Bedi, who has consistently maintained that she will not join any political party, defended her support for Modi saying: “India needs a strong leader, who is tested and experienced. Yes it can be Modi… I am speaking as an independent citizen. I am not a member of any political party.”

The BJP welcomed her statement. “Bedi has a position of her own. There is support pouring in for Modi from across the nation because people want good governance,” said party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar. Going a step further, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said the party should invite Bedi and former army chief General VK Singh to join it.

Bedi has, of late, been critical of her former colleague and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on many issues, indicating that the differences between the Aam Aadmi Party chief and those who chose not to enter politics were fast becoming irreconcilable.

General Singh, who joined Anna Hazare after he had split from Kejriwal and his group in September 2012, has also been speaking against the AAP leadership, terming it as their attempt to weaken the anti-corruption movement by breaking away for political gains.

Though Hazare has largely kept himself aloof from the growing political bitterness among his team members and former colleagues, his praise of Modi at regular intervals, which he has retracted also sometimes later, keeps the guessing game on.

Though the AAP leadership does not seem inclined to reconcile with either Hazare or his close associates, there is a growing feeling within this new party that Bedi and Singh have given sufficient indications of inching closer towards the BJP.

Source: Hindustan Times

2014-Election: Kiran Bedi Openly Endorses Narendra Modi for PM-Post

Endorsing the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, former IPS officer and Anna Hazare's key aide Kiran Bedi today said Narendra Modi can provide stable, accountable and inclusive government.

On Thursday late night, Bedi said that her vote would go for Modi in order to have a stable, well governed and inclusive country. She wrote on social networking website Tweeter,"For me it is India First! Stable, Well Governed, Administered, Accountable and Inclusive. As an independent voter, my vote is for NaMo."

In October last year, while delivering a speech in Ahmadabad, she had backed Modi. "The man is delivering and has brought good development in Gujarat. His nomination (as BJP's PM candidate) brings more clarity among voters to make their choices," she had said.

In a veiled attack on Aam Aadmi Party, she said today "for country's stability, experienced hands" are required. "Any one of us who wants a scam free country cannot vote back Congress! India needs stability and experienced hands to provide for all!," she tweeted.

She also demanded that apart from the anti-corruption helpline, the Delhi Assembly must debate the Lokayukta report that "indicts" former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

"Besides anti corruption helpline, Delhi Assembly must debate Delhi Lokayukta report which indicts S Dikshit," she said.

Source: DNA

Congress Propping Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to Counter Narendra Modi?

Looking at from a conventional political prism, it made no sense for the Congress to back the Aam Aadmi Party form the new government in Delhi. AAP had stormed the Assembly elections on an anti-Congress, anti-corruption plank. Giant killer Kejriwal had thrashed Congress' chief minister Sheila Dikshit by a massive margin and the last thing Kejriwal would have expected in return was unconditional support from the same party he had vanquished at the hustings.

So why has the Congress suddenly turned so magnanimous? Is it genuine self-reflection which Rahul Gandhi spoke about or is a far more complex calculation at play? After being hammered by the BJP in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Congress managers seem to have read the writing on the wall. They realise that a big defeat in the 2014 general elections is almost certain. And their attempt now is to try and limit the victory margin of their principal adversary Narendra Modi. And for this the party seems to be propping up the Aam Aadmi Party in the hope that Kejriwal will chip away at BJP's vote share especially in urban areas, where AAP's anti-corruption plank has struck the deepest chord.

Electoral data for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the battleground state of Maharashtra illustrates what the Congress is trying to achieve. In the build up to the elections, MNS chief Raj Thackeray was repeatedly threatening north Indians to respect Marathi manoos or leave Mumbai. Despite a massive clamour for his arrest, the Congress-NCP government dragged its feet on acting against Thackeray. MNS workers even went on a rampage across Mumbai and its adjoining areas forcing shops to down shutters and attacking taxis driven by north Indians.

The Congress-NCP could have put a swift end to the mindless violence and locked up Thackeray sending a strong message to the MNS to behave. Instead, the government allowed Raj Thackeray to emerge as a larger than life champion of the Marathi manoos. The police did not arrest Thackeray till the time the courts forced the government's hands. By then the MNS strongman had used the oxygen of media publicity to significantly enhance his stature among Marathi voters.

In the Lok Sabha elections that followed, the MNS managed to bag a major chunk of the Marathi votes, mostly in Sena strongholds, especially in urban areas around Mumbai. The BJP-Shiv Sena ended up losing on 10 out of the 11 seats on which Raj Thackeray's party put up candidates. The victory margin for the Congress-NCP candidates in the six seats of Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Bhiwandi and Pune was less than the votes polled by MNS candidates, which means that hypothetically had the MNS not been in the fray, the BJP-Shiv Sena could have won 10 more seats than they eventually did. (See table 1)

In these elections, Congress-NCP landed a tally of 25 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra while the BJP-Shiv Sena ended up with 20 seats. Had the MNS candidates not done so well, the BJP-Shiv Sena could have ended up with 30 seats and the Cong-NCP tally could have crashed to 15, completely altering the political equations of the state. (See table 2)

This strategy of propping up a foe with the aim of cutting the votes of the principal adversary is a devious and dangerous game. One that the Congress has played successfully in the past. The question is can the Congress pull off the same coup riding on the back of the Aam Aadmi Party in the Lok Sabha elections and limit Narendra Modi's gains. The India Today Group asked some of the country's leading pesphologists for their view.

C-Voter's Chief Editor Yashwant Deshmukh said, "AAP is a middle class phenomenon and the middle class is no longer only an urban phenomenon. There are 200 seats with a sizable middle class vote share. All these seats are now suddenly up for grabs. If AAP polls 5 per cent of the votes nationally, they will damage BJP on 50 odd seats. If they get 10 per cent of the national vote then they will damage BJP on 100 seats. And these seats will then become a toss up between the Congress and BJP. But if AAP crosses 15 per cent of the vote share the party will become a serious contender to grab a lot of these seats, like was the case in the Delhi elections.'

While Professor Sanjay Kumar of CSDS said, "Arvind Kejriwal has emerged as an attractive alternative to Modi, especially in urban centres. AAP will certainly eat into the popularity of Modi but the impact will be more on votes in urban areas and not so much on the BJP's seat share. AAP can make BJP lose 5 to 7 seats in the Lok Sabha elections but not more than that."

Economist and psephologist Surjit Bhalla, chairman of Oxus Investment said, "If AAP picks up vote share across the country in the same ratio as in Delhi they will damage the Congress much more than they damage the BJP. My calculation is that in the top 300 urban constituencies AAP is likely to pick up 7 seats which would have otherwise have most probably gone to the BJP."

Narendra Modi and the BJP top brass have been quite concerned about the possible damage caused by AAP in urban pockets and senior leaders been discussing the Kejriwal factor at length in internal meetings. However, in public the party tries to downplay the threat posed by AAP. Psephologist and a member of BJP's national election management group GVL Narsimha Rao told the India Today group, "Congress tried this vote-cutting strategy quite successfully in the 2009 elections in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. But after that the strategy flopped miserably in Punjab with Manpreet Badal's PPP and in Gujarat with Keshubhai Patel, both of whom were propped up by the Congress. This time the message has gone out that AAP is firmly with the Congress and therefore AAP cannot hope to take advantage of the anti-Congress wave nationally. They are now a part of the establishment and therefore not much of a threat to the BJP outside Delhi. If they don't do a good job governing Delhi over the next few months and if people get fed up with them, then they will not be a threat to Modi in Delhi either."

The Congress, however, dismisses the theory that the party is backing the Aam Aadmi Party in a bid to check mate Narendra Modi. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari said, "The support the Congress has lent to AAP was to ensure that the people of Delhi did not have to suffer another election. However, to extrapolate and conclude that this tactical decision was to keep out any one individual or party at the national level is an absolutely erroneous conclusion. The Congress has the strength to fight its own battles without having to lean on props."

The Aam Aadmi Party too debunks the charge that they are part of a fixed match with the Congress. AAP ideologue and ace psephologist Yogendra Yadav told the India Today Group, "It's a classic, too clever by half theory spun by Congress leaders in their south Delhi drawing rooms. The trouble with this script is that no Congressman and to be fair not even the Aam Aadmi Party has an idea of where, how much and at who's expense will this new force rise. In the absence of any credible evidence all this is entertaining speculation and no more."

India's electoral history shows that in most states where the Congress ceded ground to a regional player in the hope of short term gains, the party ended up hemorrhaging its long term prospects. Crippled by corruption charges the Congress has chosen to get into bed with the enemy in Delhi but the party could end up creating a frankenstein that will bite it later.

Source: IndiaToday

Narendra Modi versus Priyanka Gandhi: Whom will you choose as PM?

To accept Modi as my PM:

- Should Modi be proven guilty in the court of law, he should tender a sincere and unconditional apology to Muslims for the post-Godhra riots.
- Modi should spell out a precise vision for India’s future - economic, political and social.
- He should be publically acceptable to at least 10 non-BJP parties that formed the NDA coalition.
- He should demonstrate his ability to build consensus - both within and outside his part.
- He should quit as Chief Minister of Gujarat after 4 to 5 months and travel across India, connecting with people.
- He should develop a better understanding of geopolitics and international relations than he has demonstrated so far.
- Modi must distance himself from the opportunist leaders like Dr Subramanian Swamy who can harm the party rather than proving to be ‘an advantage ’. His recent outburst in Mangalore against Rahul Gandhi calling him ‘buddhu’ and a 'drug addict' may not go well within the party. These kinds of uncalled for talks can cause harm with straightforward voters.
- He should make every Indian citizen specially the minority more comfortable in the interest of India as a secular country. He should stop thinking that votes from the majority are alone sufficient to win the elections and for rest of them (minority) ‘I care a damn’. At the end of the end, he would be ruling India and not the majority alone.
- He givs a positive sign too, praising Rahul for Congress party.
- Should he become flexible, it's a Yes to me. If not, my vote is for NOTA (none of the above).

To accept Priyanka as my PM:

- She should be successful in at least one public role that demonstrates her ability to govern, which she seems to be lacking to the core.
- Priyanka should end her splendid isolation and interact more openly and more often with the public.
- She should build and share a concrete vision for India.
- Her stand on key economic issues is made clearer.
- She should demonstrate leadership skills within her party without gluing to her mother and party.
- She projects Rahul Gandhi as the future prime minister and projects herself as his support .
- Priyanka should tie up with Left and Right or other parties…must stay away from RJD whose leader recently was sentenced in the fodder scam.
- She should portray herself as an independent leader coming out from the mask of grandmother, mother or brother’s shadow. Priyanka can join hands with now quite popular Anna Hazare who is riding high after the passing of the historic Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha.
- Should she deliver appropriately, it's a Yes to me; or else my vote is for NOTA (none of the above).

Source: daijiworld.com

Narendra Modi Rallies-Events in January-February-March 2014

Narendra Modi Rallies / Events in January-2014

Rally-1:
Venue: Vijay Sankalp Rally, Ribandar bypass, Merces, Panaji, Goa 403002 India.
Date: January 12, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-2:
Venue: Vijay Shankhnad Rally, Gorakhpur, India
Date: January 23, 2014
Time: .....

Event-3:
For: Mission 272 Volunteer Meet in Patna
Date: January 29, 2014
Time: 2:30 PM

Narendra Modi Rallies / Events in February-2014

Rally-1:
Venue: Vijay Shankhnad Rally, Meerut, India
Date: February 2, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-2:
Venue: Brigade Parade Ground, Kolkata, India
Date: February 5, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-3:
Venue: Imphal, Manipur, India.
Date: February 8, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-4:
Venue: Guwahati, India
Date: February 8, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-5:
Venue: Chennai
Date: February 9, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-6:
Venue: Thiruvananthapuram
Date: February 9, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-7:
Venue: Vijay Sankalp Samabesh, Baramunda (Bhubaneswar), Odisha.
Date: February 11, 2014
Time: 01:00 PM

Rally-8:
Venue: Sujanpur, Punjab 145023 India.
Date: February 16, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-9:
Venue: Vijay Sankalp Abhiyan Rally, General Ground, Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.
Date: February 22, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-10:
Venue: Barak Vikas Samaves Rally, Silchar, Assam.
Date: February 22, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-11:
Venue: Nava Chetna Rally, Agartala.
Date: February 22, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-12:
Venue: Jagroan, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.
Date: February 23, 2014
Time: 12 PM to 2:00 PM

Rally-13:
Venue: Inaugurate a Solar Power Plant at Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh (MP). 
Date: February 26, 2014 
Time: 12 PM to 2:00 PM

Rally-14:
Venue: Inaugurate All India Traders Convention being organised by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi.
Date: February 27, 2014 
Time: 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Rally-15:
Venue: Hubli, Karnataka, India.
Date: February 28, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-16:
Venue: Gulbarga, Karnataka, India. 
Date: February 28, 2014 
Time: .....

Narendra Modi Rallies / Events in March-2014

Rally-1:
Venue: Modi’s Mega State Rally in Lucknow.
Date: March 2, 2014
Time: .....

Rally-2:
Venue: Modi’s Muzaffarpur Rally in Bihar. 
Date: March 3, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-3:
Venue: Modi’s 2nd round of #ChaiPeCharcha [Theme of Event is "Women Empowerment"].
Date: March 8, 2014 
Time: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Rally-4:
Venue: Modi’s Purnia Rally in Bihar. 
Date: March 10, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-5:
Venue: Modi’s Sambalpur Rally in Odisha. 
Date: March 12, 2014 
Time: .....

Rally-6:
Venue: Modi’s Dumka Rally in Jharkhand. 
Date: March 24, 2014 
Time: .....

Source: India272+.com

2014 will Destroy All Past Polls Traditions: Narendra Modi

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the polls in 2014 will destroy all past poll traditions and that it was the first time that an election had become a people's movement.

“The polls in 2014 will destroy all past poll traditions, it's the first time an election has become a people's movement. Voters in 2014 need to go by track record, not tape record,” said Modi.

He further said that there should be proper policy framework for taxation in the country.

“There should be proper policy framework for taxation, the country needs intent and not promises,” said Modi.

“We have the will-power to transform the country. The way to end corruption is by making the state progressive and policy driven,” he said.

He also promised to have a re-look at the taxation system if BJP came to power, adding that, “We don't need leaders from Mars to ensure development.”

Furthermore, he said that he did not care about the allegations that have been put on him and felt proud instead.

"When senseless allegations are made against me, I feel people are so great to have lifted a tea seller so high," said Modi.

He also targeted the Congress saying that it had transformed the demographic dividend into a demographic disaster.

Source: DNA

Online Registration for Narendra Modi's Rally in West Bengal

KOLKATA: Expecting large turn-out of supporters, the state unit of BJP has decided to carry out online registration for booking of seats at the rally of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi here on February 5.

"From January 8 we will start online registration of seats for fans of Narendra Modi who want to see him from a close distance Narendra Modi's rally in WB. And if those registering online want to give a donation then they can either pay online or by cheque," BJP state president Rahul Sinha said here.

He, however, clarified that the party was not demanding money since supporters will be provided with seats at the rally irrespective of whether they gave donations or not.

"This arrangement is for fans of Narendra Modi between the age of 18-40," Sinha said.

Hitting out at CPM Politburo member Budhadeb Bhattacharjee for his criticism of Modi, Sinha said:"What do they think? Modi will be PM with the support of the masses of India. And if the communists or Bhattacharjee oppose the people's opinion then they are the biggest fascists."

Source: TOI

Want to Join BJP to Help Narendra Modi Become PM: Yeddyurappa

Bangalore: Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa said that the people that people in Karnataka want him to re-join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to help Narendra Modi become the prime minister of the country.

"Long back I had written a letter to NDA chairman that I am going to support the alliance because almost 70-75% of the people of the country want Modi ji to become the Prime Minister of India. There is no other alternative leadership. So in the interest of the country we should take some decision and sacrifice other things. Together we will work in the interest of the people and we want Modi to become the PM," he told CNN-IBN.

Yeddyurappa admitted that certain leaders within his party, Karnataka Janatha Paksha, were against his decision to merge his party with the BJP. "I am trying my level best to convince all our 6 MLA's. Together the BJP-KJP alliance will work for the people," he said.

Yeddyurappa's decision to merge his party with the BJP comes after BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had pitched to bring Yeddyurappa back on camp.

The Lingayat leader said he was confident that he will be able to help BJP win 20 Lok Sabha seats during the upcoming elections.

Yeddyurappa had earlier said that he grew up in the RSS parivar and that he became the chief minister of Karnataka only because of the blessings and support of the party. He had even said that his return was "unconditional" and that the Congress had benefited as a result of the BJP and KJP contesting the May 8 assembly elections separately in the state.

Garnering 10 per cent vote share and six seats, Yeddyurappa had damaged the prospects of the then ruling BJP but failed to make an impact as an independent entity.

Yeddyurappa, a strongman from the majority Lingayat community, was made to quit as chief minister in July 2011 over findings of Lokayukta indicting him on illegal mining issue.

Sidelined by BJP central leadership subsequently, Yeddyurappa had formed KJP in December last year, ending his 40-year-long association with BJP.

Source: IBNLive