How Narendra Modi Becomes A Star Campaigner
Prime Minister Narendra Modi”s public persona of a confident, agile, and strong politician has been the X factor for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2014, when they formed their first government at the center. In the recently held Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Mizoram elections too, PM Modi played a pivotal role for BJP. The massive turnout witnessed in the PM Modi-helmed rallies and roadshows exemplifies this fact. It is obvious that the “Namo” factor remains intact even a decade later.
Modi explored all his might in the recently held election. He led almost 100 rallies over the five states, emphasizing the slogan “Reform, Perform, and Transform”, which he touted as the insignia of his last five-year tenure.
Moreover, he powerfully tackled the Congress-led India bloc, criticizing its dynastic politics, appeasement policies, corruption, and failure to oversee the security of the nation. At the same time, Modi tactically presented his achievements as Prime Minister, indicating Make in India and Digital India initiatives, a clean image with no significant corruption scandals, the Swachh Bharat initiative, the insolvency and bankruptcy code (IBC), the Goods and Services Tax (GST), etc.
He garnered public attention with skillful oratory techniques, comparing Congress with the cricket team as they themselves have run out of each other for the last five years, saying congress leaders” dialogues and announcements are filmy and denoting Congress as a symbol of corruption. Modi also emphasized the importance of the next five years and reiterated his confidence that he will be in power in the next five years too.
Modi spent time with minority groups in order to erase his image as a Hindutwa mascot and galvanized party cadres into action.
However, his speeches in Rajasthan and Telangana have featured his usual rhetoric of appeasement politics by Congress and other opposition parties. Especially in Rajasthan, he was vocal about Hindutva politics, using the Udaipur murder of a tailor in his speeches.
PM Modi has tried his best to capture media and public attention during this election season. Though PM Modi could not manage to visit Mizoram, reportedly due to the situation in Manipur, he successfully included Mizoram through video addresses.
Apart from the election meetings, PM Modi managed to attend various functions and visits during this period, including his visit to Tirupati and his sortie on Tejas.
The results of these five assembly elections are crucial for PM Modi and the BJP, as these polls are considered a semifinal to the upcoming big final—the 2024 general elections—where he will seek a third term.
