The Kanodia brothers not only addressed 19 public meetings for the BJP (the same number as the chief minister), they held two road shows as well.
The credit for the BJP’s landslide victory in the panchayat elections undoubtedly goes to chief minister Narendra Modi who addressed as many as 19 public meetings across the state. But not many people know that during the campaign, the Saffron Party was depending as much on the charisma of two brothers - Naresh and Mahesh Kanodia of the Gujarati film industry - as on the CM for its poll success.
The Kanodia brothers not only addressed 19 public meetings for the BJP (the same number as the chief minister), they held two road shows as well.
Of course, the brothers are the first to dismiss the suggestion that their campaign in the panchayat polls was more responsible for the BJP’s spectacular victory than Modi’s public meetings.
“It is not our magic, but the fusion of our magic with that of Modi Saheb’s that pulled off such a huge victory,” said Naresh, the actor brother who is considered the Amitabh Bachchan of Gollywood.
“We are committed workers of the BJP and people have responded positively whenever we have campaigned for the party during elections.”
Naresh is currently resting at his home in Mumbai after the hectic poll campaign. He said that he and his brother have been with the BJP since 1991. “During the campaign for the panchayat polls from October 14 to 19, we addressed seven scheduled and non-scheduled public meetings every day,” said Naresh.
Naresh and Mahesh Kanodia are considered pioneers in the Gujarati film industry. While Naresh is Gollywood’s megastar, Mahesh is a producer and singer who can sing in both male and female voices. Earlier, he was four-time MP from Patan. Naresh’s son, Hitu, has also entered the film industry and is the new star of Gujarati movies.
The BJP has always been aware of the Kanodia brothers’ immense popularity among Gujaratis, particularly in the villages. The brothers were roped in by the party even for the corporation polls.
They had then done road shows in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar. How valuable the Kanodia brothers are for the BJP is evident from the fact that they were the only campaigners besides Modi to be provided a helicopter for electioneering during the panchayat polls. Even former president of the state BJP, Purushottam Rupala, who is currently a national vice-president of the party, was not given this privilege.
The campaign style of the brothers was also unique. After alighting from the helicopter in a rural area, they would get into a specially prepared open van or jeep and travel through the countryside with a large number of fans and supporters in tow. People came out of their houses to have a glimpse of the stars or for an opportunity to shake hands with them.
The brothers would stop at certain places along the way and give impromptu speeches in which they extolled the BJP’s virtues and exhorted people to vote for the party. In addition, they would also address the public meetings that were scheduled for them by the party.
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