TWO DAYS BEFORE AMIT SHAH FILED HIS NOMINATION PAPERS FROM GANDHINAGAR-a seat the Union home minister first won in 2019, with a margin of 557,000-plus votes-he visited 30 voters for whom he is the designated panna pramukh. A panna is a page in the electoral rolls, each assigned a pramukh, or in-charge, by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to mobilise support. "Twenty-seven confirmed that they will vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modiji before 10.30 am on polling day. I've requested the remaining three, who plan to travel, to reschedule their vacation," says Shah, settling down for a Gujarati meal, wife Sonal by his side, at the house of a close associate, amid campaigning the following day.
Earlier that day, on April 18, riding a makeshift chariot atop a mini truck, the 59-year-old waved to supporters jostling on the roads under the scorching sun for a glimpse of their leader. "Raise your hands and take a pledge to vote for the kamal (lotus, the BJP symbol) before 10.30 am on May 7," he exhorted a gathering at Vejalpur, concluding his 10-hour-long road show, as hands shot up in unison. "Now I am relaxed," he said, "to campaign in other parts of the country and return here on the day of voting."
With over two million voters in this Lok Sabha constituency, Shah claims that his team has visited nearly every home at least once. The microscopic attention to detail and the presence of thousands of dedicated foot soldiers, combined with the natural appeal of the idea of voting for aapdo manas (our man/ a Gujarati) as the prime minister, are key to Shah's confidence-so much so that he spent only one day holding road shows and rallies before filing his nomination papers.
This story is from the May 06, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 06, 2024 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Who Will Win The Mahayuddh?
In Maharashtra's Most Complex Political War Ever, Shifting Alliances Fuel A Gripping Saga Of Power Struggles And Betrayals In The Pursuit Of Votes
Grand Young Master
Seventeen-yearold D. Gukesh has become the youngest player to win the Candidates chess tournament
SPORTING SPIRIT
BADMINTON PLAYER ASHWINI PONNAPPA, 34, IS OFF TO HER THIRD OLYMPICS, THIS TIME WITH A NEW PARTNER, TANISHA CRASTO
PORTRAITS OF A PEOPLE
Etchings by the colonial Flemish artist F. Baltazard Solvyns are getting a new lease of life in an exhibition at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai
Centennial Man
A seminal exhibition of K.G. Subramanyan's works in his birth centenary year at Emami Art, Kolkata takes an imaginative and immersive curatorial approach
Rhythms of Nature
ARTIST AND MUSIC COMPOSER GINGGER SHANKAR'S LATEST SINGLE COMBINES SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC WITH INUIT THROAT SINGING
SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND
Kashmiri musician Faheem Abdullah’s debut album Lost; Found is a collaborative effort
FOUND IN TRANSLATION
With its excellent translations, Songs of Tagore makes Rabindrasangit accessible to the non-Bengali reader
Of Freedom and Friendship
T.C.A. RAGHAVAN'S CIRCLES OF FREEDOM FOLLOWS THREE YOUNG MUSLIMS DRAWN INTO THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE
The Razor's Edge
Salman Rushdie's Knife is an eloquent, first-person account of the horrific attack on him. It's also a love story