Undoubtedly, the prize for best run campaign goes to Narendra Modi but is it enough to win the race for 7, race Course Road? All pre-poll surveys have predicted a comfortable victory for BJP led NDA but the track record of pre-poll surveys on national level does not inspire confidence, be it 2004 or 2009 pre-poll surveys. Modi may be ahead of others including Rahul and Kejriwal but to romp home with a clear cut majority on his own is still a big task for him because the party has no presence in large parts of India although Modi has tried his best for a breakthrough in states like West Bengal.
Brand Modi has been marketed very efficiently and a win for Modi led BJP would indicate that India too has joined the league of Western countries where selling a candidate requires the skills of selling a product. This is more so in United States where media blitzkrieg plays an important role in ensuring victory of presidential candidates.
One thing is for sure, a Modi victory will open scope for marathon debates on whether Indian electorates have shown a preference for a US style presidential campaign to judge the charisma and quality of candidates. Let's wait for May 16.
