Poll 'mahasangram' over: Will 'Modi wave' prove its mettle again?

The voting to the high profile Assembly elections finally came to an end on Wednesday evening. With this the fate of nearly 5,470 candidates has been sealed in the EVMs. The results will now be declared on 19th October. All the parties in Maharasthra and Haryana left no stone unturned to woo voters during the campaign but undoubtedly Prime Minister Narendra Modi remained the show-steeler.

The BJP which recently snapped its alliance in both the States depended solely on 'Modi wave' for the big test. The stakes are high for Modi, as the results will be an indicator for how far the wave of support that swept the BJP to power has sustained since the Lok Sabha polls.

'Modi wave' on test
The five-month-old Prime Minister is facing biggest test of his popularity post the Lok Sabha polls. Modi addressed 27 packed rallies in nine days in Maharashtra and 12 over a fortnight in Haryana. During his rallies, the PM urged the voters to rout the corrupt Congress out of the power in both the States. He asked the public to press the lotus button to bring in the change.

The BJP candidates from both the States are confident that the "Modi wave" is strong enough to take them past the finish post."

Has BJP played gamble?

The BJP which has been riding high post the specatular win in the Lok Sabha polls, suffered jolts in Assembly bypolls where Modi magic did not work. But, BJP still chose to go on Modi wave, the party crafted its campaign around 'brand Modi' hoping that it will help the party sail smoothly in these elections.

Maha BJP president Devendra Fadnavis has been quoted in NDTV report as saying, "We have no regrets that State leaders were not the face of the election campaign. Only Narendra Modi has credibility - it was the right strategy."

The BJP which recently dumped its 25-year ally Shiv Sena, organized 700 rallies in Maharashtra to woo voters. The party sent 86 digital vans having GPS and large screens to 10 villages to broadcast Modi's messages in different parts of the State.

On the day of polling, the party carried out an advertisement in various newspapers with large pictures of Modi, calling on the electorate to choose "an honest and stable Government".

Modi as usual drew huge crowds to the rallies. But in the absence of any effective State leadership will his persona be powerful enough to take the party to power in Maharastra and Haryana.