Is Modi going to be named BJP's PM candidate by end July?

Is the BJP set to bite the bullet and go ahead and name Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as their Prime Ministerial candidate? According to a report in the Economic Times, that is just what they are setting out to do, and as soon as the end of July. The report says, “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.” [caption id=“attachment_940805” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  AFP[/caption] The report adds that the RSS has announced its backing for the move, and had conveyed its approval to the senior BJP leadership. Narendra Modi’s elevation will come as little surprise, although BJP senior leadership kept maintaining that a decision to this effect had not been made as yet. His elevation to Chairman of the election campaign committee last month that came at the cost of the exit of NDA alliance partner JD(U), (and great heartache to LK Advani) was seen widely as a precursor to his nomination, although the party took great care not to portray it that way. However it looks like the BJP is tired of beating around the bush. If the report is to be believed, the party is clearly hoping to galvanise Modi’s supporters from across the country and build momentum behind his personality and brand of ‘developmental’ politics that has captured the imagination of the nation’s middle and upper classes. The report of Modi’s elevation comes even as the BJP met in Delhi for a campaign meeting and revealed that they were ready for snap polls. Speaking to media after the meeting, BJP spokesman Ananth Kumar said that party President Rajnath Singh and election committee chief Narendra Modi would draw up a two-pronged strategy – political and organisational – to take their election campaign ahead. “As part of our election strategy we will compare the economic state of the nation when Atalji was PM to the current state. We are ready for elections.. this government has failed on all fronts,” he said. As _Firstpost_ noted on Monday, there is little doubt about the fact that the BJP will leave no stone unturned to bolster their prospects in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Given that the Congress has served them issues to exploit during the poll campaign on a platter, BJP will be looking forward to covering up whatever mess is their on its own tracks. One of the issues that the BJP will need to battle in these polls is the Congress’ constant reference to their communally divisive nature. The cost of declaring Modi as PM candidate is also not a small one, as it is bound to affect the likelihood of other parties joining hands with the BJP in the run up to the elections and could adversely affect the likelihood of coalition partnerships. Both the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samajwadi Party which depend heavily on wooing the Muslim vote, will not want to be allied with a Modi-fronted BJP. The JD(U) has already split from the NDA and although Jayalalithaa has declared Modi a ‘personal friend’ the party will also be hard pressed to do very well in the South. However, it is evident from popular political discourses in mainstream media and social media that if there is one person who can propel BJP towards victory, it has to be Modi. Like it was observed in this _Firstpost_ article , if the electorate in individual states have to be compelled to look beyond their local concerns, they have to be drawn into a dialogue with a leader who has pan-Indian appeal. From the looks of it, no other BJP leader seems to have that kind of an appeal as Modi has with some sections of the society across India. Finally, as Firstpost editor R Jagannathan pointed out , unwilling allies will cross over to the BJP’s side if Modi ends up leading his party to victory without them.

“Even the consensus against Modi may be ephemeral: it will hold only if Modi takes his party to defeat. If he fares well, opinion on him will change. The one thing on which all Indian politicians have another hidden consensus is this: if you have the numbers I will change my tune. Power builds consensus like nothing else. Narendra Modi‘s splendid isolation will end the day he demonstrates power in numbers. The right excuses will be found to align with him when that happens”