The elevation of Gujrat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the chairaman of the BJP's election campaign committee viewed as his gradual projection of prime ministerial candidate, is all set to face the greatest challenge from Uttar Pradesh. The challenge to improve the lots of the BJP significantly in UP is equal to the task lying ahead of him in rest of India.
Nothing has been formally announced but its is expected that Narendra Modi will come up with some road map for the state which has 80 lok Sabha seats and played the vital role during the days when NDA was in power under Vajpayee rule. Fully ware of the daunting task, Gujrat Chief Minister has already activated himself by getting appointed his close aide and national general secretary of the party Amit Shah as the incharge of the UP.
It has been nearly one month when Amit Shah was nominated as incharge of the state and it was announced that he will lead an agitation in Rampur district on May 27 but due to Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh the proposed agitation was called off. Now party sources claim that Shah might visit the state capital in next week to take stock of the situation focused on the preparedness of the lok Sabha election.
The worrying factor before the BJP in the state is that it failed to move even an inch forward in last two lok Sabha elections. It could muster only 10 seats in 2004 and against ton on same numbers in 2009. Its performance in assembly election in 2007 and 2012 also remained same as it got 51 and 48 seats respectively. No ground level improvement has become visible despite several experiments effected by the leadership in last few years.
It is often being debated in the rank and file that if Narendra Modi decides to contest the lok Sabha election from UP, then will it reverse the fortunes of the party. Many seats including the lucknow once represented by
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being counted as the launching pad for Modi's inning in central politics. " All will depend on the advice of Amit Shah who will assess the pros and cons of Modi's candidature from UP in lok Sabha election" said a state BJP leader.
Many in party believe that Modi is not only capabale of polaraising the election but even cash om his image of a champion of developmental politics. " The biggest advantage which BJP might draw from projecting Modi as its future leader is to galvanise the votes of most backward castes as Modi hails from it. We need to project Modi also as a backward leader" said another state party leader. However it is being eagerly awaited that what sorts of magic stick Modi displays in coming days so that party can get back its lost glory in the state which enabled it to occupy the power at centre in the past.