Saturday, October 8 2005 14:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: It is being billed as a contest of Modi power vs star power. This appears to be the campaign strategy adopted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat and state Congress respectively to woo voters for the elections for the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) scheduled to be held on October 13.

While BJP is completely banking on the aura and style of Chief Minister Narendra Modi to lure urban voters, Congress is flying in cine star turned MLA Govinda, screen villan-turned- politician Raza Murad and youth leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot to impress the electorates.

"The Chief Minister is more or less the star campaigner for Gujarat BJP as he is well aware of the ground-realities and is actively participating," Yamal Vyas, one of the BJP's campaign managers for the AMC polls, told PTI.

Regarding Modi himself taking active part in campaigning, Vyas said, "There is no specific reason. He has shown keen interest and his presence will have its impact." Modi, who has already hit headlines with indirect sensitive statements like BJP is keen to 'release Ahmedabad from Mughal rule', would embark on a three-day 'rath yatra' covering all municipal wards of the city.

"This yatra beginning will go into all areas of the city, including sensitive pockets of the walled city and the CM will address the people," party members said.

Modi's rathyatra is not the mammoth truck with mechanized ladders unlike his previous chariot but is a smaller vehicle so that it can wind through narrow roads of the city's walled city.

Unfazed by Modi's charisma and style of campaining, the Gujarat Congress is all geared to unleash its star power to encourage voters to elect the party again into the AMC. "Even if Veerappan was called in to campaign, people would have flocked to see him so what is the big deal that Modi is himself campaigning for BJP? He is a controversial person and not a star campaigner," leader of opposition Arjun Modhvadia said.

"Modi has been defaming people of minority community ever since he began campaigning. He has already let the people down by calling for an end to 'Mughal Raj'. By bringing in youth leaders we want the urban educated voter to apply their mind before casting votes and not to follow a communal line," the Gujarat Congress leader said.

The AMC polls will be an acid test for both the rival parties with BJP having to prove more than a point, especially with recent dissident activities against Modi, by winning this election while for Congress it would be a task to eclipse Modi's charisma.

The rival parties have fielded 129 candidates but the BJP does not have even one minority community candidate while Congress has more than a dozen.