All along the campaign, Modi has also been subtly nudging the debate away from his achievements or failures on the development front to himself. In a throwback to Indira Gandhi’s successful campaign to counter the ‘Indira Hatao’ slogan of her rivals, the Gujarat chief minister repeatedly emphasises that the issue in this election is Modi, nothing else. The fight against terror is made synonymous with Modi. He stresses his macho image by pointing to his 56-inch chest. Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders may avoid mentioning his name in their speeches, but Modi’s larger-than-life image continues to dominate the campaign. The Congress, in contrast, tries to direct the contest along party lines and not personalities, in the hope that Modi’s individual popularity may not necessarily translate into votes for his party candidates.

The fact is that the BJP plays a poor second fiddle to Modi. The Gujarat CM is not really bothered whether or not the normal caravan of senior party leaders, cricketers and film stars from Delhi and Mumbai put in an appearance. He knows that it is his oratory and rabble-rousing talents which really draw the crowds. Even L.K. Advani can only hope for second billing. In fact, the contrast between the poor numbers at Advani’s rallies and the cheering mobs at Modi’ s, is striking.

There is an impression in Gujarat that the principal opposition to the chief minister comes, not from his main political rival — the Congress — but from the media. A journalist on an election tour in a village in south Gujarat asked a farmer singing Modi’s praises whom he should speak to get the other point of view. “For that you must go to any TVwallah,” the farmer responded matter-of-factly. In the media the issue remains the mob barbarism against Muslims in 2002, which was carried out with the active support of government machinery and for which there has been no repentance.

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