No 3D effect this! 148 Narendra Modis in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: He is Narendra Modi and his mother's name, Hira Ba. He is not appealing for votes. Instead he is eagerly waiting for April 30 to vote for the Gujarat's chief minister in the hope that he becomes the Prime Minister.

This Modi is one of the 148-stong army of namesakes of BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi in Gujarat. Interestingly, majority namesakes do not sport a beard but most are NaMo supporters.

Election Commission data reveals that the biggest congregation of 49 Modi namesakes are in Ahmedabad district in the age group of 20-70. Most confess they are all common men but are generally addressed by people as 'CM saheb' or 'Modi saheb'. "I work in a timber mart and my name has always helped me break ice with government officials. In fact, many jovially refer me as 'Modi saheb' or 'CM saheb'. I am a big supporter of Narendra Modi and firmly believe that he will make a strong PM for India," says Narendra Dahyabhai Modi (48), a resident of Maninagar.

Many have even met the CM. "I met him during Patang Mahotsav and when he came to know I too was named Narendra Modi, he asked security personnel to let me chat with him," says Narendra Modi, a photographer in Usmanpura. Architect Narendra Modi in Satellite says he feels a strong kinship with NaMo. "I am an architect of buildings while Narendra Modi is the architect of Gujarat who will build a strong country when elected as PM."