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PM Modi to address over a dozen rallies in poll-bound West Bengal
The PM could address two rallies ahead of elections in each of the eight phases in West Bengal; and six in Assam, and in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry that go to polls in a single phase on April 6
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address over a dozen rallies in the eight-phase election in West Bengal to bolster its electoral campaign. The party is also hoping that the outcome in the upcoming elections will be similar to that in a clutch of states, including in Bihar most recently, where the party performed better in areas where the PM campaigned.
While the schedule for the PM’s rallies is yet to be announced, party functionaries said he could address two rallies ahead of elections in each of the eight phases in West Bengal; and six in Assam, where elections will be held in three phases and in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry that go to polls in a single phase on April 6.
“The PM is the most popular leader and people come to hear him because they have faith in his administrative abilities. And it is no secret that his rallies give a boost to the [BJP’s] election campaign,” said a party functionary.
The first rally that the PM will address in WB, where the party is geared for a tight contest against the ruling TMC, will be on March 7 at the Brigade.
While he is the party’s face even in the state assembly elections since the party rarely announces a chief ministerial candidate, his addresses are the most sought for by the crowds it draws and for giving the campaign a leg-up.
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Party functionaries refer to the past elections to buttress the claim that the PM’s campaign helps improve the party’s performance.
In the Bihar election held last year, the PM addressed 12 rallies in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Saran, Sasaram, East Champaran, West Champaran, Samastipur, Saharsa, and Forbesganj, which covered 110 assembly constituencies. The NDA’s strike rate in these assembly constituencies was about 56%.
In the 2018 Karnataka assembly election, where the PM’s rallies were increased from 15 to 21, he was credited for swinging popular vote in favour of the party.
In 2017, the PM addressed 23 rallies and held two road shows covering 118 of the total of 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP won 99 of them while it’s then ally, the Apna Dal, also won three of these seats, taking the strike rate to 86.4%.
In Uttarakhand, Modi addressed four rallies and his party won 57 of the 70 seats.In Manipur too, the BJP won 13 out of the 26 seats the PM covered in his rallies, a strike rate of 50%.
To be sure, the party also faced electoral upsets in several states, including Delhi, where the PM addressed three rallies; in Rajasthan where he addressed 10 and Chattisgarh where he addressed four rallies.
