Narendra Modi from Varanasi is good for BJP
It would be a mistake to interpret the selection of Mr Narendra Modi as the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from Varanasi for the lok Sabha election as an imposition of an outsider to the constituency and Uttar Pradesh. As the party's prime ministerial candidate, Mr Modi is not an outsider to Varanasi — or to any other constituency the party would have selected for him. He should also not be seen as a mere candidate from one constituency, but rather a pan-India figure. The BJP's opponents have gone to town to claim that the party has chosen a ‘safe seat’ for its prime ministerial candidate. This is a silly allegation, because Mr Modi has enough of so-called safe seats in Gujarat and elsewhere to contest from. Whether he stands from one of them in addition to Varanasi remains to be seen. By terming Varanasi a ‘safe seat' for the BJP, the party's opponents have virtually conceded defeat. That they are jittery is evident from the various statements which have been emerging from the anti-BJP camp of the need to have a ‘common candidate' to take on Mr Modi from the constituency. This is another indication of the reality that the anti-Modi elements are on a sticky wicket in Varanasi. Mr Arvind Kejriwal's decision to contest against the BJP's prime ministerial candidate from the holy town has only added to the tamasha but is highly unlikely to dent the latter's prospects. The BJP's central election committee's decision to field Mr Modi from Varanasi was taken with at least two factors in mind. The first is the overwhelming importance of Uttar Pradesh. The State not only sends the largest number of Members of Parliament — 80 — to the lok Sabha, it is also crucial for the fortunes of the party. The BJP naturally believes that Mr Modi's candidature from the State will have a ripple impact and fetch the party the 40-plus seats it is targeting. Initial reactions at least confirm that the announcement of his name has greatly energised the party's cadre in not just Varanasi but also across Uttar Pradesh.
But more importantly, the party believes that the choice of Varanasi is a tactical masterstroke. The constituency borders not just other key constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, but it is also contiguous to several regions of Bihar, where too the BJP is on an upswing. The Modi magic is expected to rub off on these constituencies as well. Most political observers expect a sound performance from the party in Bihar, with the Congress-RJD combine and the Janata Dal (United) falling behind. The BJP's alliance with Mr Ram Vilas Paswan has already solidified its chances in the State, and Mr Modi's candidature from Varanasi is expected to at the very least mop up undecided voters in the vicinity of the constituency.
The media had invested a great deal of time and space to the ‘disgruntlement' of senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who is the incumbent MP from Varanasi. Rumours were afloat that Mr Joshi would refuse to vacate the constituency. Nothing of the sort happened. Mr Joshi has shifted to Kanpur and there is nothing to suggest that he is rebellious. It was natural of him to want to contest from a constituency he has represented for five years now. But he appreciated the logic behind Mr Modi's candidature from Varanasi and made way.