Modi saves the day for BJP

Ranchi: The saffron party has for the first time has won a majority in the assembly election. The number of seats won by the party doubled as compared to the previous election - from 18 to 37 seats.
The reason for BJP’s success in polls can be linked with the prevailing Narendra Modi wave which has swept the country since 2014 Lok Sabha election. However, the constituencies visited by Modi to address party rallies tell a different story.
Spread across all five phases, Modi addressed rallies in areas, targeting almost 39 assembly constituencies.Out of the 39 constituencies, the BJP-Ajsu party alliance has bagged 20 seats. Around 12 seats were won over by BJP from other political parties. However, the party has lost eight seats to other parties as well, that formed part of the BJP-AJSU Party alliance in the 2009 assembly election.
Modi also targeted five assembly constituencies by addressing rallies in Daltongunj, Panki, Bishrampur, Hussainabad and Chhatarpur. The saffron party won two - Bishrampur from RJD and Chhatarpur from JD (U) of the five seats.
Modi had also addressed a rally in Chandwa, Latehar the same day but the party failed to win seats there. BJP candidate Harekrishna Singh retained Manika seat but Latehar was lost to JVM (P)’s Prakash Ram.
Modi’s second visit witnessed him addressing rallies at Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jagganathpur, Manoharpur and Chakradharpur. This leg of his campaign failed to register a single win with the party losing Majhgaon, Manoharpur and Chakradharpur.
This apart, BJP won in Hazaribagh but lost Barhi and Barkattha to Congress and JVM-P candidates respectively while Barkagaon was retained by Congress. Modi had targeted four constituencies here.
Modi’s rally has been successful in Dhanbad where BJP-AJSU Party alliance won four new seats of the six seats that were targeted including Sindri, Tundi, Jharia and Baghmara. The only seat lost by BJP was Nirsa, which was won by MCC’s Arup Chatterjee.
The BJP’s campaign strategy in Jamshedpur and Ranchi yielded almost similar results. The party collectively targeted 13 seats, of which it bagged ten.
In Ranchi, the BJP won Tamar, Mandar and Khijri seats from JD (U), TMC and Congress respectively but lost in Hatia and Silli.
Modi’s Jamshedpur rally targeted six seats and won Ghatshila and Jamshedpur West seats from JMM and Congress respectively. The party has already retained Potka, Jugsalai and Jamshedpur East seats.
BJP state spokesperson, Pradeep Sinha, attributed the party’s victory in the assembly election to Modi and his rallies. “The change is evident from the overall figures as the party has improved its performance by doubling the seats it won in the last election,” he said.