In October, Modi has visited Gujarat five times, despite polls not even being announced. His only visit to Himachal came before the poll declaration on 12 Oct.
New Delhi: In just over two weeks, on 9 November, Himachal Pradesh will elect a new assembly. But when it comes to the BJP’s campaign in the state, there seems to be a complete lack of urgency.
Reason: Much of the national leadership of the BJP, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, seem to be completely preoccupied with Gujarat even though election dates are yet to be announced for that state. So much so that the perceived neglect is becoming a matter of heartburn for some party leaders in the mountainous state.
A quick look at the Himachal BJP’s Twitter feed reveals that the only prominent leaders to visit the state since the polls were announced were the party’s national general secretary (organisation) Ram Lal, and spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain.
The focus on Gujarat does not come as a surprise though considering it is the home state of Modi and Shah, and the BJP has been in power there for nearly 20 years. But for the PM to have made five visits to Gujarat in October alone and just one to Himachal feels like overkill for some leaders in Himachal.
“The whole party is sitting in Gujarat, including the PM and the party president. The stakes are high (in Gujarat), but Himachal is equally important. It seems the central leadership is assured of the party’s victory in the state,” said one Himachal BJP leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Wanted: A little more attention
The date of the Himachal polls was announced by the Election Commission on 12 October, officially beginning the poll process, which will conclude with the declaration of the results on 18 December.
The last time Modi, BJP’s star campaigner, visited the hill state was on 3 October, to lay the foundation stone for an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bilaspur. It wasn’t exactly an election rally, as has been the case with his visits to Gujarat.
The state leadership, it is learnt, has been requesting him to visit and hold rallies, given his ability to garner audiences and votes. But there has been no decision so far on the PM’s rallies in the state, as well as those by other star campaigners like Shah. In fact, the first meeting on the campaign schedule is to be held on Wednesday, while the PM’s schedule could be finalised in a day or two.
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A candidate contesting the polls said there was a feeling that with just two weeks of the campaign left, there had been too little central support, and Modi’s visits would provide a boost.
“There are 15 days left to campaign. Modi-ji could cover the state in one day and still have an impact, but we would have wanted him to visit earlier as well. It would have definitely given a boost to our chances of winning,” the candidate told ThePrint.
Another candidate said the people of the hills were eager to see the PM. “The aura of the PM is intact, especially in the hills, and his rallies would give impetus to the campaign. Now that nominations are over and the main part of the campaign has begun, we hope to have him more in Himachal.”
Why so much emphasis on Gujarat?
The BJP has 120 MLAs in a house of 180 seats in the Gujarat assembly. Sources in the party said even if the party won one seat less, there would be wider implications on the perception of the “Modi wave” across the country.
“If we win less seats than we currently hold, the Congress and other opposition parties will target the PM for not being able to gain the confidence of people in his home state, where he had been CM for 13 years,” a senior leader said.