Modi said at a rally in Jharkhand capital Ranchi that instead of taking responsibility for the things which went wrong under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule in the last ten years, party vice- president Rahul Gandhi, who had begun to voice dissent on a number of issues, was playing the role of an “akashvani” (an angelic voice in the sky).

“In ancient times, people heard akashvani that came as if they (voices) were not concerned about the happenings around....Today, there is akashvani that CMs will do this, CMs will do that." Gandhi, at a meeting with chief ministers of Congress- ruled states on Friday, had asked them to check prices. He had also disapproved the Maharashtra government’s rejection of the probe report on the Adarsh housing scam.

Although Modi did not name Gandhi, he referred several times to an “akashvani” that was running away from “responsibility” and hiding from the mess of corruption, inflation, unemployment, industrial crisis and growing poverty due to UPA’s wrong policies. “Such people are seeking to appear now, as if they are part of the solution.Those who created this mess and betrayed the people can never solve it because they lack conviction or resolve.”

Modi did not touch upon the Gujarat verdict, but said the people were tired of caste-ism and communalism played by political parties and looked forward to a decent form of governance that would fulfil their basic aspirations. BJP president Rajnath Singh, however, paid compliments to the Gujarat chief minister for having come out victoriously from “attempts” to enmesh him in 2002 riots cases.

“You (the Congress) may hatch many new conspiracies like snooping and by ordering an inquiry... but nothing will come out of it. Modi will come out clear and take over the reins of this country like Ram did after 14 years of exile.” The Union cabinet has formed an inquiry commission to probe allegations of snooping on a woman allegedly carried out at the behest of former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah, a Modi aide. Singh added “the BJP must get enough seats and Jharkhand must deliver all 14 seats” to make the people’s wishes to see Modi as the future PM come true. “Don’t even look at our candidates. Just look at Modi and see what he can do and vote BJP,” he said.

Focusing on BJP’s target to win all the seats in Jharkhand, eight of which are held by the party now, Modi too said the state, which has seen political instability and corruption, had a bright future if its residents made the right choice in 2014. “They (political opponents) ask me what my vision for the country is. My answer is that solution for Jharkhand lies not in the way you have turned it into a quagmire of poverty,” Modi said.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday said he will organize a door-to-door campaign—Vote for Modi—in the run up to the 2014 polls.

Ramdev, who was speaking at the Press Club, came down heavily on the Nehru family and the Congress. "Corruption exists in all parties. But politicians like Modi, Mamata Banerjee and Naveen Patnaik are not corrupt. The difference between the Congress and the BJP is that even the top leaders of the former are corrupt," he said.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi as a 'baccha', he said Modi is like the Himalayas and Rahul is too small. "Rahul has become a zero from hero. He hasn't done anything in the past 10 years, what will he do now," he said.

He said he hopes to get answers from Modi on January 5 regarding problems faced by the common man in the fields of agriculture, education and health.

The yoga guru didn't even spare the new Delhi chief minister. "Arvind Kejriwal made three mistakes. He didn't stick to his promise of neither lending nor taking support from any party. He went on to take support from the Congress . He also passed comments against Anna Hazare," said Ramdev. "The day they file an FIR against Sheila Dikshit, the support will end," he said.

Baba said he doesn't believe that the Aam Aadmi Party can replicate its success in other states. "AAP can cause side effects but can't have a big impact," he said, assuring people that he will never enter active politics but only support politics that ensures a good democracy.

A majority of people will have to pay up to get a glimpse of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during a public rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on February 5.

Those looking forward to be seated closest to the platform from where Modi will address the rally, will have to get their seats booked online. The bookings will open January 3 —- the day the state
party leadership will decide on the amount of fee for the seats.

“We will earmark seats for the young people and will exhort them to book
their seats. We are targeting people in the age group of 18 to 25. The rally will attract lakhs of people,” Rahul Sinha, state BJP chief, told.

The BJP had put an entry fee to attend a Modi rally for the first time at a public meeting in Hyderabad some months back. It is also planning to charge Rs
5 from those intending to attend Modi’s Goa rally on January 12.

In Kolkata, the party has already begun preparing for the rally. “We have planned 100 rallies and street meetings in the state in January to prepare for Modi’s rally. We have a target of bringing in at least 1 lakh people,” Shamik Bhattacharya, party state general secretary, said.

A new online store dubbed 'The NaMo Store' is now selling merchandise inspired by Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. The NaMo Store includes products like T-shirts; stationary material including desk organisers (paperweight, reminder pad, pen-stand and notebooks), and pen-drives. According to Live Mint, there are plans to launch physical stores in major cities and that the first brick and mortar store would be in Ahmedabad.

Live Mint cites a team member of the online store, who said, "The NaMo Store will also be launching their own retail stores across different cities in India for wider reach in near future. The stores will be opening in major cities in India."

The online store is from Take India Beyond Merchandising Pvt. Ltd. which describes itself as a "merchandising brand that goes beyond mere profits". Notably, the T-shirts available on The NaMo Store sport slogans, logos and images of Narendra Modi.

In November, a Narendra Modi-inspired game, Modi Run was launched on Android for free. The gameplay of Modi Run is based on the classic Mario series, not the Temple Run series as indicated by the name; here Modi's character is seen beating obstacles and collecting diamonds at various stages. Interestingly, the developer has named the stages after Indian states.

We have also seen Narendra Modi-inspired smartphones that were launched in September this year. On Wednesday, the Congress party announced that it would create a 'cyber-army' to combat BJP's onslaught on social media. Senior Congress leader, Ahmed Patel confirmed the news, saying, "We will be creating our cyber army to counter the BJP's onslaught on social media which has become important in the run-up to the 2014 general elections."

In big relief to Narendra Modi, metropolitan magistrate BJ Ganatra rejected Zakia Jafri's protest petition against the Supreme Court- appointed SIT's clean chit to Narendra Modi and 57 others in a 2002 Gujarat riots case. The magistrate had earlier fixed October 28 and then December 2 for pronouncement of verdict on Zakia Jafri's petition against the clean chit to Modi and 57 others which included top BJP leaders and police officers.

Since the judge could not complete the order, he posted it for Thursday. Zakia's husband, former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, was killed in the riots along with 69 others in one of the worst massacres at Gulbarg Society in Ahmedabad on February 28, 2002.

Proceedings in the matter ended on September 30. The court has got more than 25,000 pages of the SIT's probe report for perusal. Further, Zakia Jafri had filed a voluminous protest petition and written replies. The SIT too has filed a written reply as rejoinder. It was on September 12, 2011 that the Supreme Court had said it would no longer monitor the case after the SIT cleared Modi of the accusation that he had failed to discharge his constitutional duty to intervene swiftly to stop communal riots.

The case was sent back to the lower court. Modi had immediately tweeted, "God is great," and announced the three-day Sadbhavana fast to embrace Muslims. The fast, started on his 61st birthday on September 17, 2011 had launched his campaign to become BJP's prime ministerial candidate. The SIT claimed that it could not find any prosecutable evidence against the accused persons regarding their involvement in the alleged conspiracy behind the riots. It had even refused to treat IPS officers like RB Sreekumar, Rahul Sharma and Sanjiv Bhatt as witnesses on the ground that their statements are hearsay evidence.

On the other hand, Zakia has alleged that the SIT has been shielding Modi and others by not believing statements given by these police officers and neglecting the available evidence.

Zakia has accused the SIT of playing the role of a court by adjudging the truth of the available evidence. Her lawyers contended that the investigation was incomplete and the probe agency had not even done it seriously. On the opinion of amicus curiae Raju Ramachandran that Modi may be prosecuted for inciting communal hatred, the SIT has said that there is no evidence to prosecute him, and the incident alleged was beyond the ambit of its probe.

In 2006, Zakia had filed a complaint about the role allegedly played by Modi and 62 others during the 2002 riots. When Gujarat police did not register her complaint, she moved the Gujarat high court which asked her to approach a magisterial court. She chose to move the apex court.

The SC asked the SIT to look into the issue. When the probe team came up with a report, the SC asked it to tender it before the concerned magisterial court. Accordingly, it filed a closure report against all the accused persons on February 8 last year.

Maharashtra BJP plans to make Narendra Modi's Sunday rally in Mumbai the biggest political gathering in the city. Its city and state units have been working overtime for the last two weeks to make its PM candidate's 'Mahagarjana Rally' at the Metropolitan Region Development Authority grounds in Bandra Kurla Complex a grand success.

"We will ensure that this will be the biggest political rally that Mumbai has seen. I don't want to quote any numbers but lakhs will attend this rally and it will be a grand success. Special focus will be on youth of Mumbai and Maharashtra," BJP state spokesperson Madhav Bhandari told.

"Various sections of the society have been given invitations in groups. Thousands of doctors have been called to attend the rally, thousands of lawyers have been called and thousands of small and medium businessmen have been asked to be there. We know that our leader Narendra Modiji used to be a tea vendor at a railway station before he entered politics. So as a symbolic gesture, we have asked 10,000 tea vendors from various parts of Mumbai and Thane to attend this rally, these are all special invitees", Bhandari said.

"People from other parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat will also come to hear Narendra Modi . We expect thousands of vehicles to enter Mumbai this Sunday from outside the city. But we are working on making it smooth," said former BJP MLA Atul Shah.

Another BJP leader told that the party has decided to create a special section in the front rows for foreign diplomats and staff of various consulates at the MMRDA grounds so that diplomats who choose to come can get the sense of Modi's popularity in Mumbai.

The rally is scheduled to start at noon. This is the first time that Modi will be speaking with the audience in Mumbai after the recent assembly poll results gave a thumbs up to BJP. The party cadre in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra are upbeat about the rally.

Mumbai Police is taking special precautions for this rally. Security will be multi-layer and most people attending the rally will have to cross metal detectors and other checks. People on the outer periphery of the ground will be subjected to random checks. Since it's a Sunday, police will not have to alter traffic arrangements in the area but the road from Airport to MMRDA grounds in BKC will see some regulation of traffic.

Narendra Modi addressed the Vijay Shankhnaad Rally in Varanasi. Here are some highlights:

- People of India are eager to uproot the government in Delhi.

- The 2014 election will be fought by people, not by parties and the leadership won't be of one person.

- It is impossible to talk about India without talking about the Ganga.

- For others Ganga can be a river, but for us it is our mother, not just a river.

- Ganga is not mere a flow of water, but it depicts our culture.

- The UPA govt made a scheme to clean the Ganga.

- A lot of campaigning was done and people thought something will be done.

- But in the last five years no step was taken by the Centre except holding three meetings.

- People of India want answers have you (UPA) done to clean the Ganga.

- Should those fooling the nation in the name of Ganga form the government again?

- Those who could not manage the Ganga, how can they manage the nation?

- To purify the Ganga we have to make Delhi and Lucknow pure first.

- Those protecting the Congress day and night keep asking me: 'what will you do'. - I don't just speak, it make it happen.

- I invite those who ask me all these questions: 'come to Gujarat, see the Sabarmati River today'.

- If the Sabarmati can change Gujarat's life, can't the Ganga change India's life?

- We are not here with mere promises, but with strong will.

- It is said without Uttar Pradesh no government can be formed.

- This thought is an insult to Uttar Pradesh. Is the state just about increasing numbers in Parliament?

- Is Uttar Pradesh only about making governments? I don't have such a narrow thinking.

- If India wants stability, it is not possible without Uttar Pradesh.

- India's development cannot happen without the development of Uttar Pradesh.

- Do not link Uttar Pradesh merely to the number of MPs.

- This land can become Bharat Bhagya Vidhata. It can be the engine of development.

- For us Uttar Pradesh is not a political playground, but the most important land for India's development.

- It is people for this land that once dreamt of Ram Rajya.

- If people are not skilled, how would Ram Rajya be possible?

- Farmers of this land can fill stomachs of so many people, but see the government you have.

- A farmer who has the ability to fill stomachs of others is unable to fill his own stomach.

- How does the farmer feel to know that grains are rotting? It is not just economic loss, it touches the heart of the farmer.

- Supreme Court says give grains to the poor, but government lets it rot and doesn't give it to the poor.

- The rotten grains are given to liquor manufacturers. Won't this make a farmer sad?

- What the government is doing is insult to the farmers and a joke on the poor.

- When elections come, they keep talking about the poor.

- If there is someone responsible for poverty, it is one family that has kept the nation in poverty.

- I have spent my childhood in poverty. I don't need to go to houses of poor to see what poverty is. They (the Gandhis) have hatred for the poor.

- One UPA leader calls me tea-seller. Is it a crime to stand on one's own feet and make ends meet?

- If people bless someone then anybody can become the prime minister, irrespective of what he or she does.

- Selling tea is acceptable to us, but not the country.

- I tell the poor, uproot all those people who have exploited you.

- Congress leaders say we are thieves. Yes, we are thieves, we have stolen the sleep of the Congress.

- A few days ago a Muslim from here wrote to me. He said 'I have to share a problem with you'.

- When one has to apply for a job the first thing that comes to mind is 'sifarish', but in Gujarat we have done it through technology and transparency.

- Why is it that even the most educated person does not survive on certificates, but on sifarish? Youth need dignity.

- My young friends, I am coming with a guarantee of your future. If we cannot guarantee the future of our youth then nothing can be done.

- People are uprooting the Congress in states and electing BJP governments.

Narendra Modi plans to visit Lord Vishwanath and Sankatmochan temples in Varanasi after the rally on December 20.

It is said politics is all about the message a party or leader sends across and Modi's decision to visit the two temples is a pointer. The spotlight on Modi's aide Amit Shah's visit to temples in Ayodhya has shifted to Modi's plan to visit Varanasi temples.

Modi will arrive at Varanasi to address 'Vijay Shankhnaad Rally' on December 20 at around 12.30 pm and address the gathering, expected to be the biggest of the four rallies held so far, said media co-in charge Manish Dixit.

Modi plans to visit Vishwanath temple first after the rally gets over between 3 and 3.30 pm, sources said and added that he will next offer prayers at Sankatmochan temple before leaving from Gujarat from Varanasi.

Senior BJP leaders said not much should be read in Modi's plan to visit the two ancient temples. So far, Modi has addressed four rallies in the state beginning his UP leg of campaigning in the run-up to Lok Sabha election from Kanpur on October 19. This was followed by rallies at Jhansi on October 25, Bahraich on November 8 and Agra on November 21.

Varanasi rally is also being seen by political observers as important in that it will be the first big show of the BJP in the state after its thundering success in assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattishgarh and in Delhi where the party stood four votes short of attaining majority.

The temple town Varanasi has been the ideological nerve centre for Rashtriya Swayemsewak Sangh as have been Ayodhya and Mathura. Though Modi's last rally was in Agra, the neighbouring district of Mathura, the BJP's PM hopeful didn't talk about Mathura's Lord Krishna temple. Not only this, the state BJP felicitated its two Muzaffarangar riots accused MLAs at the Agra rally but before Modi arrived at the rally ground.

According to political observers, Modi has deliberately been making efforts not to be seen as the party's Hindu face mainly because the Godhra ghost had been haunting him for a decade now and he had been making concerted efforts to present himself as role model of development mentioning the Gujarat model of development in his speeches in UP. In the wake of the Lok Sabha election, Modi seems to be making every effort to become a major factor if there are any doubts after success in the assembly elections, political observers believe.

Represented by former national BJP chief and veteran party leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Varanasi is an important city of eastern UP area an any message sent across from there will go a long way.

Imagine congress led united Democratic Front's Chief whip in Kerala assembly wearing a Saffron Shawl and flagging of BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's "Run for Unity" marathon organised by BJP.

This at a time when Congress was defeated by BJP in assembly elections and the later is preparing for a bigger victory in Loksabha elections. But Chief Whip of Kerala assembly P C George is not at all remorseful about this magnanimous gesture he had on Sunday in Kottayam in Kerala. George, Vice president of Kerala Congress (M) said that he doesn't find anything wrong in participating in a function organized by BJP. "The marathon was conducted on Sardar Patel's death anniversary day in order to raise fund for building his statue. BJP leaders invited me to flag off the run and I readily agreed to do so as I admire Patel. I have immense respect for Sardar Vallabhai Patel," says George.

Though function was held as a part of mobilization for building a 182 metre statue of Sardar Patel in Narmada river in Gujarat, it is widely seen as move by the Gujarat Chief minister Narendra Modi to promote himself as part of his upcoming election campaign. To the horror of UDF leaders, George was also seen distributing Saffron T-shirts with Narendra Modi's picture embedded in it to the runners.

He waved the t-shirt in full view of the channel cameramen presented at the function. State Congress leaders have expressed shock over the incident and called for immediate removal of George from Chief Whip post.

"This is something congress can't tolerate. P C George was ridiculing congress for quite sometime now and he openly participated in a function organized by opponent BJP. There should not be any compromise this time in the case of George," said former KPCC president K Muraleedharan. "This is unacceptable. George should go," exhorted congress MLA T N Prathapan. Kerala Congress (M) Chairman and finance minister of Kerala, K M Mani said that he will discuss the topic within the party and will take appropriate action against George.

"George's act is deplorable," says KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala. "George had crossed all limits now. He should not be allowed to continue as chief whip," said Congress spokesperson Panthalam Sudhakaran.

This is not the first time George is creating troubles for UDF. P C George was emerged as a headache for Chandy government for sometime now. His harsh criticism of fellow ministers and members of the ruling front was irritating the UDF for the past year and a half. His remarks on Congress ministers and others within the party had even provoked KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala to openly declare that the party won't tolerate his foul-speak and will deal with him if he continues to attack Congress leaders. George had even written a letter against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that he had evidences in his hand to prove the role of Omman Chandy in the solar scam in August 14, 2013.

George's acceptance of BJP's invitation to inaugurate the marathon in Kottayam is also seen as Kerala Congress (M)'s strategy to get BJP votes to their candidate Jose K Mani in Kottayam constituency. "Kerala Congress (M) think that Jose K Mani won't win unless he get BJP votes from the constituency.

P C George might have attended the function BJP with the blessings of Kerala Congress (M) Chairman K M Mani as he wanted his son to become MP again," says an insider. It is a known fact that Kerala Congress (M) was always lenient towards BJP and never opposed them severely even in the past.

With George's endorsement of BJP campaign for Modi, Congress leaders in the state are embarrassed as BJP will use it judiciously just as in past too. Earlier Congress MLA A P AbdullaKutty and state labour minister Shibu Baby John were landed in trouble for praising the developmental activities of Narendra Modi in Gujarat. Former Supreme Court Judge and the minister of first left government in Kerala, Justice V R Krishna Iyer also landed in trouble for showering praises on Modi.

Narendra Modi spoke at the 'Shankhanaad rally' in Dehradun in Uttarakhand.

Here are the highlights:

»May God give me the strength and blessings to give back to you what you gave me.

»We can generate power through water in the mountains, but these people have no time.

»There is so much water in the hills but the nation is in darkness. What is the reason behind it?

»Uttarakhand is already an SEZ - Spiritual
Environment Zone.

»Terrorism divides, tourism unites. And Uttarakhand is a tourism hub.

»The youth of Uttarakhand is leaving because of lack of opportunities. »There is scope for tourism but no growth.

»These people want trains to come to Delhi but not to the country's heart Uttarakhand.

»There are no schools for adventure tourism, should set up such places.

»Uttarakhand is special because from this land come people who give their lives for the nation.

»We need new thinking and commitment for the progress of Uttarakhand.

»If you (Rahul Gandhi) care so much about Lokpal, why didn't your party pass the bill in Uttarakhand.

» Assembly poll verdict clearly shows which way the wind is blowing. It is the beginning of Congress- free India.

»You've experimented a lot, trust us once. I promise we will do everything to fulfill your dreams. I am grateful to people of Uttarakhand, can't forget their love and affection.

From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, from the North East to Gujarat...today, lakhs of people will Run for Unity. Glad to see immense enthusiasm among everyone, particularly youngsters to join the Run for Unity. Let us all Run for Unity, let us Run for India.

Statue of Unity Movement is a tribute to the ideals & values of Sardar Patel. It is a dream to unite our nation & draw the world to India. Have shared some thoughts on Statue of Unity Movement.

BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is the most talked about person on Facebook in India beating likes of cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar and Apple iconic device iPhone 5s, the US-based social networking site said on Monday.

According to the social networking giant's top Indian trends of 2013, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and India's Mars mission also failed to beat the Gujarat Chief Minister, who was the most mentioned person on Facebook this year.

Facebook, which at present claims to have 1.19 billion monthly active users (MAUs), has 82 million MAUs in India for the quarter ending June 31, 2013. "Take a look at the most mentioned people and events of 2013, which point to some of the most popular topics in India," Facebook said in a statement. This includes Narendra Modi followed by Sachin Tendulkar, iPhone 5s, Raghuram Rajan and Mangalyaan, it added.

Last month, India launched its maiden mission to Mars, which could carry India into a small club of nations, including the US, Europe, and Russia, whose probes have orbited or landed on Mars. Batting mastero Tendulkar also retired last month after playing his 200th-test match. He is also the first sportsperson to be bestowed with India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna. "Today, we're taking a look back at the people, moments and places that mattered most on Facebook in India in 2013," the social networking site said.

Conversations happening all over Facebook offer a unique snapshot of India and this year was no different. Every day, people post about topics and milestones important to them from announcing an engagement, to discussing breaking news or even celebrating a favourite political party's victory or love for cricket, it added.

Sukhdev Dabha at Murthal (Haryana) was the most talked about place to visit on Facebook followed by Golden Temple in Amritsar, Bangla Sahib Gurudwar, Connaught Place and India Gate in New Delhi and Taj Mahal in Agra among others.

With trends indicating a massive win for BJP in Rajasthan, State party president Vasundhara Raje on Sunday said her party’s PM candidate Narendra Modi was a “huge factor” behind its good show. “The people of Rajasthan were tired of non- governance of Congress. It is something that follows from Delhi also. Therefore, Narendra Modi is a very big factor because people have seen what he has done in Gujarat,” Ms. Raje said after her party was leading in more than 145 seats.

She said, “Modi has shown that development happens in Gujarat and he has shown that this is a model that can be followed anywhere”. “The BJP government in most of the states have been able to do this also and that’s what the people of this country want. Therefore, Modi has been a very huge factor. This is also the semi-finals to what is going to happen very shortly,”

Ms. Raje said, expressing confidence that the party would form government at the Centre under the leadership of Mr. Modi. Asked about her priorities, Ms. Raje maintained that it would depend on what the people of her State would want. “We are going to look forward to doing some good work and bring Rajasthan back on its feat again. We will basically strengthen the people of Rajasthan,” she added. She said it was because of the people of Rajasthan and also for the hours of sweat by her party workers that she had achieved such a lead. “I thank the people of Rajasthan… whatever has happened today, I actually give my thanks to the people and dedicate it to them...not only to the people but also to the workers who have sweated for the last ten months for this.

“The victory is dedicated to our party workers who left no stone unturned. Party president Rajnath Singh and our prime ministerial candidate also spared time for campaigning for the party in Rajasthan and I am thankful to them,” she said.

The exit polls in the wake of the Delhi assembly election on December 4 have indicated at a 4-0 verdict in favour of the BJP (Mizoram is excluded for it is still to play a decisive role in the national politics). This black-and-white outcome in the semi- finals ahead of the big final next year is significant for not only the BJP but for the national politics as well.

For this would mean that in less than three months since his anointment as the party's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi has proved his critics wrong and produced a magic that even the previous generation of national leaders found difficult. In the four states that have gone to the polls this season, namely, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the BJP's best result so far was 3-1 in 2003 when the Congress retained only Delhi. If the 4-0 verdict comes true this time, it will mean a much bigger feat for Modi, compared to even greats like Vajpayee and Advani. It will also signal a perfect ending to the BJP's succession issue. By leading the party to victory in other states (Modi is certain to get a bigger credit over the likes of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Raman Singh or Vasundhara Raje in case the BJP makes a sweep), the Gujarat chief minister will do his mission to emerge a pan-Indian figure a world of good. The elevation outside the party will confirm him as the face of the post-Vajpayee era in the BJP. It was indeed a risk for the saffron party to test Modi in these assembly elections just six months ahead of the great battle but a 4-0 verdict will mean that a risk is worth a reward.

Another development in the post 4-0 period could be the BJP's gain in allies. For those who were wondering about the Modi phenomenon so far since he had mainly been a regional leader and that too a right-wing one, this emphatic victory will erase their doubt to a great degree.

One wouldn't be surprised if the likes of Mamata Banerjee, Jayalalithaa, Naveen Patnaik, YSR Jaganmohan Reddy, Chandrababu Naidu and Raj Thackeray begin to tilt towards the BJP, quickly or gradually, after witnessing the verdict in the four important states.

For leaders like Nitish Kumar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati and the Left parties, the Congress's humiliation will be terrible blow. For, this would put into jeopardy the plan for a tacit understanding between the 'first' and the 'third' fronts to corner the second front.

For the Congress, this verdict could signal to a bigger problem. This will mean that the succession in the party hasn't paid off and the Jaipur enclave of February looks a distant moment. Rahul Gandhi's acceptability will be under a question even though his party tried to shield its senior leadership in the state polls to protect it from all kinds of adversity. The loss in four states will mean that Gandhi has failed to boost his party in important state elections for three years now. Expecting a rapid turnaround in another six months will be a bit too much.

After claiming that proposed BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's rally slated to be held in Dehradun next month would be a big hit, BJP State convener for the rally and Cantt MLA Harbans Kapoor said that responsibilities have been distributed among the party leaders and activists in order to make the rally a huge success.

While addressing mediapersons in a press conference held at the State party office in Dehradun on Wednesday, Kapoor said that BJP national president Rajnath Singh will also address the gathering on December 15.

"All former BJP chief ministers which include Maj Gen BC Khanduri, BS Koshyari and Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and other veteran party leaders will also be present in the rally," he said, and claimed that the party would be able to gather around two lakh spectators in the rally.

While disclosing about steps taken by the party leaders to turn the rally into a huge success, Kapoor said that district presidents of different organisational districts, in-charges of different cells of the party, MP and MLA and other party leaders have been asked to make elaborate arrangements for the rally. He said that the party activists from all the 13 districts of Garhwal and Kumaon division of Uttarakhand are likely to participate in the rally. "District Presidents of the party have been holding the meetings in their districts for the rally," he asserted, adding that responsibilities have been already conferred to the party leaders. "Responsibilities for rally have been assigned to party leaders after having rounds of meeting with the BJP State chief Tirath Singh Rawat and BJP State general secretary (organizational) Sanjay Joshi," he said, adding that veteran leaders and convener for the rally have been continuously keeping an eye on the arrangements.

Kapoor informed that BJP State general secretary Naresh Bansal has been conferred with the rally in- charge whereas security arrangements would be look after by Vipin Rana, OS Rathi and Rakesh Malhotra. Additionally, health and medical arrangements would be look after by Dr Aditya Kumar, Dr DD Chowdhury, Dr Bharat Sabarwal and Dr BM Gaur whereas Aditya Chauhan, Vishal Gupta, Ranjeet Bhandari will make arrangements for publicity campaign in colleges.

Kapoor said that transportation arrangements would be done by Vijay Snehi, Ramgopal and Sunil Jain whereas refreshment arrangements would be look after by Rajesh Sharma, Sushil Gupta, Suraj Prakash Bhatia, Anand Prakash Nautiyal, Ajay Singhal and Pradeep Walia.