Ahmedabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah’s nomination filing process in Ahmedabad Saturday turned out to be a grand show of strength for the party, with its key allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) present in solidarity.
Shah, who makes his national electoral debut, is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Gandhinagar, a seat that has been represented by party veteran L.K. Advani multiple times.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s Parkash Singh Badal, Lok Janshakti Party chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan attended the event, along with senior BJP leaders and Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari.
Conspicuously absent at the occasion, however, was Advani.
‘Modi, Modi, Modi’
The entire nomination process took place amid recital of mantras by some students.
While addressing the ‘Vijay Sankalp Sabha’ at Naranpura, the assembly constituency from where he began his electoral run, Shah pointed to the fact that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and senior leader Advani had been MPs from the Gandhinagar parliamentary seat.
“I am fortunate that I too will represent this constituency,” Shah said at the rally.
On the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP chief said this Lok Sabha election will be fought on the issue of “who will lead the country”.
“When I ask this question to people from Himachal to Kanyakumari and from Kamrup to Gandhinagar, I can only hear one sound — ‘Modi, Modi, Modi’,” he said.
The BJP chief added that people have “found the leader they had been waiting for since the last 70 years”.
Also read: Who after Modi: With Amit Shah’s nomination, BJP sets up a succession plan for 2024
Allies’ talk at mega show
The nomination process was preceded by a rally and a roadshow.
At the event, alliance partner Badal called it a “historic day”, underlining the importance of Shah’s nomination.
“People of Gujarat, you are very lucky as both the PM and the party chief are from this state. Shah is not a human being but an institution in himself. If there is anyone who can be credited for forming government at the Centre after Modi, it is Shah,” said the Akali Dal leader.
“Today, the parliamentary election has only one agenda — who will be country’s PM. The prime minister has given good governance, especially security of the nation with the (surgical) strikes,” said Badal.
“The prime minister has made India proud.”
Meanwhile, home minister Rajnath Singh, who has served as the party chief for two terms, also heaped praises on the BJP president.
“L.K. Advani had contested elections from here, it is Amit Shah who is inheriting his constituency. I must say that Shah has proved to be a better party president than me,” he said.
Show of strength
With the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections due to begin on 11 April, the BJP wanted to reiterate the message of a united NDA and Shah’s nomination filing provided it the perfect platform.
The opposition has been making attempts to cobble together a grand alliance against the PM Modi-led BJP government and has tried to display a united front on several occasions.
However, the alliances have not worked out quite as planned, particularly with the Congress being left out of the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP, meanwhile, managed to seal its alliances well in time, getting difficult allies like the Akali Dal and Shiv Sena on board, while also succeeding in bringing the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) back to its fold.
Also read: Amit Shah hits out at Congress for Pitroda’s comments, says party insulting martyrdom of soldiers
Importance of Sena’s presence
The presence of Uddhav Thackeray at the Gandhinagar rally is also expected to send positive signals to the voters.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP had been at loggerheads for several months before the parties managed to thrash out alliance terms in February.
“Many are surprised how I am here. Many are not feeling too well seeing me here… There are people who were happy that two parties of same ideology were fighting against each other,” said Thackeray.
“We had differences but when Amit Shah came to my house we ironed out them out,” he said.
In an apparent dig at the opposition, he said, “Humara dil mil gaya hai… (Unlike others, our hearts have met).”
“There was a time when the two of us were untouchable. Today we have the same ideology and the same leader. I want to ask who is your leader?” asked Thackeray.
“Just as the crowd is chanting Modi today, I would like to challenge the opposition to come together and chant one name. There is no thought, no leader, ” said the Sena chief.
PM and Deputy PM in the making??? Great Combination!
The face of the future.