By-election test for Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: After BJP���s disappointing show in Gujarat during the Lok Sabha polls and its subsequent loss in the Junagarh municipal elections, the upcoming Assembly by-elections in seven constituencies pose the next big test for chief minister Narendra Modi. The elections are also crucial for Congress which will seek to retain seats held by it and keep up the momentum of its Lok Sabha performance.

Both Congress and BJP have announced names of candidates for the by-polls ��� Congress declaring the names of four and BJP that of five contestants for the September 10 polls in Jasdan, Dhoraji, Kodinar, Sami, Dehgam, Chotila and Danta seats.

The Congress��� names, declared late on Saturday night, were for Jasdan, Dhoraji, Kodinar and Sami. The party has fielded Bhavna Bavalia from the Jasdan Assembly segment. The seat fell vacant after her father, Kuvanrji Bavalia, wrested the Rajkot Lok Sabha seat from BJP, breaking the saffron party���s long winning streak in the key Saurashtra seat. The other shock defeat for BJP was Porbandar which was won by Congress��� Vitthal Radadiya.

BJP, which also announced its candidates on Saturday, has fielded Kalyansinh Chauhan from Dhegam. The leader has been defeated twice from the seat by Congress��� Jagdish Thakor, who became the MP from Patan in the 2009 general elections. In Sami, BJP���s Bhavsinh Rathod will take on Mr Thakore from Congress. Mr Rathod had quit Congress to join BJP and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Patan unsuccessfully. Though Mr Rathod was the MLA from Sami, he had to resign when he joined BJP.

The elections, which will see four contests in Saurashtra ��� Jasdan, Dhoraji, Kodinar and Chotila ��� will be watched keenly to gauge BJP���s performance. In the 2009 general election, BJP bagged 15 out of the 26 seats, but failed to repeat its 2007 assembly performance, when Mr Modi had registered a handsome win. Congress which lost one seat from its 2004 tally to net 11, however, managed to stop the onward march of BJP and even defeated the party in its strongholds of Rajkot and Pordander.

With the BJP���s prime ministerial candidate, L K Advani, contesting from the state and its PM-in-waiting, Mr Modi, emerging as the party���s star campaigner in the elections, the results were seen as a big let down. The party also lost the Junagarh municipal elections to Congress. The state government���s reputation also took a beating due to the hooch tragedy which claimed over 130 lives.