Modi begins 4th innings as Gujarat CM
27 Dec 2012 7:25 AM IST
The swearing in ceremony of Narendra Modi as the chief minister of Gujarat on Wednesday at Gandhinagar, turned into a roll call of prospective allies in the event of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader projecting himself as National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections.
Modi seems to have found a new ally for the next general elections, as the swearing in ceremony was attended by Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha. Though in the past Modi and Jayalalitha have maintained a cordial relation, her presence sets the stage for her party supporting Modi, if he is projected as the prime ministerial candidate of NDA.
Eyebrows were, however, raised by the absence of Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. The Bihar leader, who is known to be close to Modi’s bete noire Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, cited prior engagements as the reason for him to skip the event. The event was marked by the complete absence of Janata Dal (united) leadership including that of NDA convenor Sharad Yadav.
The other non-NDA leader who attended the swearing in ceremony was Maharastra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackrey. In the past the MNS chief has praised the developmental achievements of Modi. Raj’s cousin Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena also marked his attendance at Ahmedabad. Other NDA leader present was Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, representing the Akali Dal.
The event also saw presence of the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh, Jagdish Shettar and Manohar Parrikar respectively.
BJP party president Nitin Gadkari was present along with other top party leaders such as Leaders of Oppositions Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and party veteran LK Advani. Senior leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad such as Ashok Singhal were present with religious leaders.
Modi seems to have found a new ally for the next general elections, as the swearing in ceremony was attended by Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha. Though in the past Modi and Jayalalitha have maintained a cordial relation, her presence sets the stage for her party supporting Modi, if he is projected as the prime ministerial candidate of NDA.
Eyebrows were, however, raised by the absence of Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. The Bihar leader, who is known to be close to Modi’s bete noire Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, cited prior engagements as the reason for him to skip the event. The event was marked by the complete absence of Janata Dal (united) leadership including that of NDA convenor Sharad Yadav.
The other non-NDA leader who attended the swearing in ceremony was Maharastra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackrey. In the past the MNS chief has praised the developmental achievements of Modi. Raj’s cousin Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena also marked his attendance at Ahmedabad. Other NDA leader present was Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, representing the Akali Dal.
The event also saw presence of the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh, Jagdish Shettar and Manohar Parrikar respectively.
BJP party president Nitin Gadkari was present along with other top party leaders such as Leaders of Oppositions Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley and party veteran LK Advani. Senior leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad such as Ashok Singhal were present with religious leaders.
Next Story
