On Wednesday, the BJP s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, stole MP CM Sh ivraj Singh Chouhan s thunder in the latter

s own backyard. On Thursday, he made his southern debut in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, drawing crowds comparable to the ones Jay alalithaa attracted for her campaign in the 2011 polls. On Sunday, he is suppose d to take on Delhi. The numbers, the response, the fanfare, the cheering the Modi-effect is palpable. But the question on everyone s minds supporters and rivals alike is: Can this help the BJP win elections? HIS ELEVATION IS NO FACTOR The voters are concerned about local issues during the assembly elections. They a re least bothered about Modi s elevation, says Raipur-based political analyst Shash ank Sharma. Even the Opposition Congress, which is troubled by its own problems, is not losi ng sleep over Modi. He remains an absolute stranger for the large tribal and sche duled caste population. There will be no impact on the electoral prospects of th e Congress, says state Congress general secretary Ramesh Varlyani. The scenario in Madhya Pradesh is similar. The BJP government in the state has no t adopted any Hindutva agenda on its part so far. The BJP workers may be enthuse d after Modi s new role, but it is not going to impact the polls, says political an alyst Girijashankar. HE WILL GET HINDUTVA VOTES BJP leaders feel Modi will consolidate the party s conventional Hindutva vote, and garner greater support from the urban middle class, particularly youth. Modi s rally in Jaipur in the beginning of the month saw a huge turnout, drawing t he youth. Young people think he is a doer, says the BJP youth wing s Rajasthan presi dent, Deendayal Kumawat. A few believe even the Northeast, especially poll-bound Mizoram, maybe warming up to Modi. But this may mean little as the BJP doesn t have a presence in the no rtheast. Many in Mizoram are likely to be ignorant about Modi, but those in the know feel he can do better for India. The admiration is for his ability to do and not his religious affiliation. People know whoever becomes PM cannot afford to adhere t o this ideology or that in a diverse, multi-ethnic country, says Aizawl-based pol itical analyst Vanlalruata. In Assam, where the indigenous communities fear being outnumbered by Bangladeshi s aka Bengali Muslims, the Modi fan base has widened. Some fans have floated pro -Modi groups on social media for a better, safer Assam . Assam needs a leader like h im to check the demographic invasion, says RK Sarma, a member of one such Modi fa n group. PROS AND CONS However, Modi comes with problems too, for the BJP. Muslims across the country a re expected to polarise to defeat the BJP under him. And this means gains for th e Congress which has otherwise been faced with massive corruption charges and fl ak due to inflation wherever it has a chance. A key concern of a section of the BJP is whether Modi would be acceptable to pot ential NDA allies. His elevation led to the rupture in the alliance with the Jan

ata Dal (United). These leaders argue that since regional parties have a Muslim constituency to address, they would be loath to accept Modi as the BJP s PM-candid ate. However, pro-Modi party leaders have begun to counter this logic, saying th at allies are attracted to power, not secularism. If we end up with 120 seats, w e ll have no allies even if we put up the most secular face. But if we get 180-odd seats, you ll find many parties shedding their inhibitions and flocking to the ND A to form the next government, a BJP leader said. (inputs: Bhopal, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan) and Mizoram)