A man loved by the masses will become India’s Prime Minister

May 11, 2014 Letters

Dear Editor,
This is in response to “Finally someone from the masses will rule India” (KN May 10 by Sase Singh). I was in India for the ongoing general elections (nine phases with the final phase on Monday) and was also there in December for a series of state elections including in the capital state of Delhi. Polling there is extremely difficult . Nevertheless, based on informal surveying, my own analysis, and exchanges with scholars and media personnel, Modi’s party (BJP) of which he is the Prime Ministerial candidate, will win the most seats unless something goes wrong. And in fact, concerns about fraud have been raised. India uses electronic computer machines to vote and there are concerns that the chip in the computer could be manipulated. The Election Commission assures that outside manipulation of the voting machine is not possible.
Based on my analysis and pre-election surveys by other pollsters, all indications are the BJP will win the most seats and the President will ask Modi to form a government. I do not think BJP will win a majority (273) of seats but will get over 200 seats and more likely to get around 240. The party feels it will get 250 seats. With its alliance partners, Modi will cross 300 seats enough to win a vote of confidence as the President will set as a condition for appointing him P.M.
Modi is enormously popular, pulling crowds of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands at campaign stops. Everywhere I went, it was Modi fever. There was hardly mention of Rahul Gandhi, the standard bearer of the Congress party and scion of the Gandhi clan. As Sase Singh noted, Rahul does not demonstrate that he is someone of outstanding intellect and he does not speak with authority and confidence. In Addition, he lacks the charm and charisma of his grandmother (Indira) and great grandfather (Jawaharlall Nehru). His nemesis, Modi, on the other hand, speaks confidently and unscripted. Modi has displayed an ability to address the media and huge crowds extemporaneously without any hiccups and difficulties. There are no gaffes. But there are a lot of laughs as he pokes fun at Rahul and the Gandhi family.
Modi is from the masses. He is loved by members from the higher and lower castes; many Muslims and Christians also support him for security, protection and development. This was much in evidence on Thursday when hundreds of thousands showed up for a motorcade for Modi in the constituency of Varanasi where Modi is contesting. It is a make or break contest for him. If he wins, he becomes P.M. If he closes, all bets are off as it will be untenable for someone who can’t win a seat to be appointed as P.M. Varanasi is a complex constituency with some 30% of the electorate Muslims and Modi’s opponents are urging Muslims to vote as a bloc against Modi to bring about his defeat. Varanasi is a critical seat for BJP as it is one of the holiest sites for Hindus and is central to the state of Uttar Pradesh where most Indo-Guyanese trace their roots. The BJP is banking on winning 50 out of 80 seats in UP. The party is likely to win the most seats there as well as in Bihar where the largest number of Indo-Guyanese their roots.
Arvind Kejriwal, the anti-corruption campaigner, who is from Delhi, set up camp for a month in Varanasi, is Modi’s main opponent. Rahul Gandhi also showed up in Varanasi on Saturday urging voters to vote as a bloc to defeat Modi. Rahul did not pull much of a crowd as the Congress is weak in Varanasi. Kejriwal has been pulling huge crowds daily for the last month and the outcome of the election hangs in the balance. Modi applied for permits to hold two rallies in Varanasi but the District Administrator denied him permits saying effective security could not be arranged. The Election Commission endorsed the administrator’s decision though one the commissioner said it was a mistake to deny him a permit. Permits for Rahul and Kejriwal to hold rallies were not denied.
The parties are ganging up against Modi but in the end based on people I spoke with, Modi should prevail. Voters are convinced that Modi will transform India the way he has changed Gujarat that has been experiencing rapid development leading the way for the rest of India. Yes, a man loved by the masses will become Prime Minister.
Vishnu Bisram

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A man loved by the masses will become India’s Prime Minister

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