Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi campaigned for BJP candidates in Assembly and parliamentary elections, this time also, his photographs are being used by candidates in the local body polls to win the trust of voters.
Deprived of local leadership, the BJP has no other star campaigner except Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The candidates are hardly using the pictures of their local MLA, MP or ex-J&K ministers of the BJP in their campaign as they sense this could backfire due to the anti-incumbency factor. “The BJP candidates of municipal elections know that they won’t get votes in the name of local party leaders. So they are using the name of the Prime Minister to convince voters,” said Rakesh Sharma of Gandhi Nagar.
The city is flooded with posters of candidates contesting the urban local body elections for which voting for the first phase will be held on October 8.
“I have got orders of making posters for many candidates. None of the posters of BJP candidates is without the picture of Narendra Modi. They do not want anyone else in the poster except the Prime Minister,” said one of the leading flex printers of Jammu.
Though Congress candidates are also using the picture of party president Rahul Gandhi, they are banking on local leaders too. “Narendra Modi is our role model. People like him as he is recognised not just at the national but at the international level also. Though it is not an Assembly or Lok sabha election, we will still work under his guidance,” said Priya Gupta, BJP contestant from ward no. 21.
“Yes we are using the Prime Minister’s picture in posters but we cannot ignore the local leadership,” she added.
