The BJP in Maharashtra had decided to project Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as its star campaigner, but now local BJP units across the state are asking for Varun Gandhi.
The Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra had decided to project Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as its star campaigner, but now local BJP units across the state are asking for Varun Gandhi.
The grandson of Indira Gandhi is in the news for making controversial speeches. The BJP is contesting 26 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats. The constituencies where Varun is in demand include Bhiwandi, Dhule, Akola, Mumbai North Central, and Ahmednagar.
Varun, with his newly acquired Hindutva identity, is being sought in the areas with the potential to see the votes polarised around religious identities - Hindus versus the minorities.
BJP national general secretary Gopinath Munde, who is also contesting from Beed in Marathwada, remains in demand as a campaigner.
The ailing Bal Thackeray may not campaign, but the Shiv Sena will use audio and video cassettes to woo both the urban and the rural voters. In his place, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray will hop across all the 22 constituencies that the party is contesting. He has, of late, begun to adopt an aggressive posture, peppered with Thackerayisms.
Nationalist Congress President president Sharad Pawar may take centrestage in Maharashtra, but his party’s star campaigner will be RR Patil. The demand for Patil is extremely high in the party. “Patil’s simplicity and clean image remain his biggest strengths in drawing huge applause from the masses. He even surpasses other top leaders such as Ajit Pawar (nephew of Sharad Pawar) when it comes to connecting with people through their speeches,” said a NCP poll manager.
Sharad Pawar’s daughter Surpiya Sule is also being sought out, though she might restrict herself to Baramati, from where she is contesting. Another person in demand is deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who can help win over the votes of the Other Backward Classes (OBC).
The Congress is, not surprisingly, banking on Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Congress poll managers are looking forward to at least three public meetings of mother and son. They want a rally each in Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Mumbai.
From among the state leaders, former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh remains the star campaigner, known for being able to connect to people in both the rural and urban areas.
The new entrant is the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena which is trying to find its feet in the Lok Sabha elections. This party’s campaign will be a one-man show, Raj Thackeray, who is arguably unbeatable in his oration. But how many votes his speeches will fetch him is still to be known.
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