Immediately after his return from the United States on October 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will review the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election preparations in Maharashtra and Haryana and devote a good part of the next 10 days for campaigning. “Almost every candidate in both the States wants Modiji to campaign,” said a BJP leader. “He will decide on the schedule after his return.”
BJP’s estranged partner Shiv Sena on Monday declared that its nominee Anant Geete would quit the Union Council of Ministers as soon as Mr. Modi returns. BJP’s in-charge of Maharashtra affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the party had not demanded Mr. Geete’s resignation but after the alliance broke over seat-sharing, his quitting would be a ‘natural process.’
The election campaign in both States that go to the polls on October 15, ends on October 13. Mr. Modi will be busy with different programmes related to the launch of the sanitation campaign on October 2, leaving 10 days for the poll campaign. The BJP under Mr. Modi and president Amit Shah has taken a huge gamble by deciding to go it alone in both the States, where the party has never been in power alone, but expects a groundswell of support in its favour. BJP’s campaign in these States will be two-pronged.