Brand Modi threatening to eclipse BJP symbol, the lotus

NEW DELHI: With brand Modi threatening to eclipse the BJP symbol, the lotus, the party is working overtime to make sure that the lotus blooms again, or at least, make it as prominent as its PM candidate.

As part of this strategy, BJP has given the lotus more prominence in recent posters ahead of its rallies in Patna and UP. The posters also bear the slogan “Narendra Modi Kamal Nishaan, Maang Raha Hai Hindustan ( Narendra Modi, lotus symbol is what the country wants)” on them.

A similar campaign will be played out on the walls with images of Modi and lotus, so that people connect as much with the symbol as they do with Modi when they actually cast their votes. A party leader from UP admitted as much when he said the Modi hype had distracted people from the party and its symbol, the lotus.

The BJP has pinned its hopes on Modi, who has pulled in the crowds at his rallies. But the party’s strategy could go horribly wrong if voters do not get the connection between the lotus and Modi right. A party MLA from Bihar realised this while visiting his constituency.

“Modi ko hi vote denge (will definitely vote for Modi),” an old village woman told the MLA. When asked on which symbol will she caste her vote, she said, “Modi par hi lagaenge (on Modi itself)”.

Worried, the MLA narrated the incident to his party leaders, who had heard similar stories. The party swung into action, conveying its concern to Modi himself, and is now working out a strategy to ensure that the lotus does not get blown away by the Modi storm.

Party leader Shahnawaz Hussain said Modi and the lotus were not seen in different light. “Earlier, the slogan was Atal, Advani Kamal nishaan….The Modi nectar is being offered in a lotus,” he said.

With the BJP trying to catch the new voters and focusing on states outside the Hindi belt, the party will focus on educating voters about the lotus.

BJP has realised that in a country where the literacy level is at 70.04%, nearly 30% of the voters will identify a party purely on the basis of its symbol. BJP chose the lotus as its symbol in 1980.

When it parted ways with the Janata Party, the farmer and plough symbol was frozen. The newly-formed BJP was asked to choose from the available symbols, and it chose the flower.

The story goes back to the 1857 War of Independence against the British when the sadhus and mendicants carried a roti (Indian bread) in one hand and the lotus in the other.

The lotus symbolised spirituality and prosperity. BJP leader MM Joshi, who was dealing with the EC, along with other leaders chose the lotus as the party’s symbol with the approval of AB Vajpayee and LK Advani.