How Obama's visit will give BJP's poll campaign in Delhi new energy

New Delhi: The United States President Barack Obama may be the guest of honour for the Republic Day celebration on 26 January, but could well end up being the de facto star campaigner for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Delhi assembly elections.

Much like Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flamboyant speech at Madison Square Garden in New York happened on the eve of the Maharashtra assembly elections and helped the party to register a decisive victory in the state, the BJP is hoping to incorporate high points from Obama’s three-day India sojourn in its campaign for the Delhi polls.

With less than 12 days to go for the Delhi assembly elections, Obama’s visit could very well turn the tide in BJP’s favour. For those of us who were around during the visits of former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W Bush can remember the massive hype and buzz in during that time. Well, if the hype was tremendous in the pre-Modi era, imagine what Modi’s publicity team will unleash this time around.

Delhi BJP leaders claim that Obama’s visit and Delhi polls so close to each other is mere coincidence, however that doesn’t take away from the fact that the BJP is likely to profit from all the buzz. “We are not looking to profit from it in terms of elections, but Obama’s visit showcase how Modiji as a leader is taking India to greater heights in the international stage which his predecessors were incapable of doing,” a senior BJP leader in Delhi, said.

Meanwhile, a strategist from the election committee for the BJP in Delhi revealed to Firstpost on the condition of anonymity that the BJP will use the buzz in their favour, comparing this major coup of the BJP to the corruption of the Congress leaders and the anarchism of the Aam Aadmi Party.

While in the Maharashtra assembly elections last October, the party’s strategy revolved around the three Ms - Modi, Mars mission and Madison Square Garden - for Delhi elections, the party is likely to use the Obama visit to emphasise on improving the quality and delivery of public utilities, especially electricity.

“Since the Aam Aadmi Party’s campaign is primarily focused on the need to subsidise power and cut tariffs, we’ll reveal BJP’s plan of generating clean energy for the Capital and the rest of the country, following the Indo-US nuclear deal expected to conclude during Obama’s visit,” the BJP strategist added.

“The Nuclear deal is one of Modi’s pet projects and will help in enhancing India’s power needs through nuclear energy which will ensure that by the time Modi’s term is over in 2019, every village in India will have electricity,” the strategist added.

Meanwhile, Modi himself at a press conference on Sunday said the following, “The civil nuclear agreement was the centrepiece of our transformed relationship, which demonstrated new trust. It also created new economic opportunities and expanded our option for clean energy. In the course of the past four months, we have worked with a sense of purpose to move it forward. I’m pleased that six years after we signed our bilateral agreement, we are moving towards commercial cooperation, consistent with our law, our international legal obligations, and technical and commercial viability.”

In addition to the nuclear deal, the bilateral talks is also expected to renew the Indo-US Defence Partnership Agreement and bring a new range of investments in the ‘Make in India’ project which will help in creating new jobs for the people in India.

In fact, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry has already lauded Modi good work earlier this month at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit on January 12, 2015. With additional praises expected from Obama for Modi during the course of his India visit, the BJP looking forward to marketing precisely those words of appreciation from the American President to the people of Delhi.

Also, the strategist revealed that while Arvind Kejriwal barely got any support from the NRIs during his visit to the US in December 2014, Modi received an overwhelming response during his tour.

“A BJP government in Delhi will be much more effective when it comes to working in tandem with the Central Government,” Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay, said. “Be it funds or implementing central policies effectively in the Capital, a BJP-ruled Delhi Government will do it much better,” he added.