This Article is From Oct 13, 2014

With 3 Rallies Today, PM Modi to Wind Down Campaign for Haryana, Maharashtra Assembly Polls

With 3 Rallies Today, PM Modi to Wind Down Campaign for Haryana, Maharashtra Assembly Polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally in Palghar, Maharashtra

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will finish with a flourish, his campaign blitzkrieg for Wednesday's assembly elections, with three rallies in Maharashtra today. He has been the most prolific campaigner as his party the BJP pulls out all stops in its attempt to dislodge Congress governments in Maharashtra and Haryana.

Today is the last day of campaigning.

The BJP, that registered big wins in both states in national elections four months ago, needs to extend that performance in the state elections as that will help it strengthen its position in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, where it is in a minority.   

The run-up to these elections saw two alliances of long standing come apart over seat sharing, turning Maharashtra into a four cornered contest between the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, the Shiv Sena and the BJP, with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Narvnirman Sena or MNS as a fifth player.

Mr Modi has already addressed over 20 rallies in Maharashtra. Yesterday, he described the October 15 state election as the "final exam" of the Congress and the NCP, that ruled the state for 15 years as partners before parting ways two weeks ago.

He has asked the state to vote in a BJP government to ensure that Maharashtra benefits from the BJP's rule at the Centre.

His party's ally till a few days ago, the Shiv Sena has questioned the need to do that. "Why do you need the same party at the Centre and the state?  Did Gujarat not develop under Modi when Manmohan Singh was PM," asked Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, whose party hopes he will be the next Maharashtra chief minister.

In Haryana, the BJP faces off not only with the ruling Congress, but also a resurgent Indian National Lok Dal or INLD, headed by the 79-year-old OP Chautala, who made news last week after being spotted in a hectic campaign while out on bail on medical grounds.

Though Mr Chautala, a four-time chief minister, has been convicted and sentenced to a 10-year jail term in a corruption case, he is seen to have succeeded in creating a sympathy wave among his traditional Jat voters.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has suggested voters don't "waste" votes on the BJP or INLD.

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