The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

The most controversial man in Indian politics, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, is hoping to be re-elected this month. The BBC's Geeta Pandey is following his campaign.

At an election rally in Kathlal in the western Indian state of Gujarat, chief minister Narendra Modi lists his achievements.

"I have worked for the development of Gujarat. I have brought water from the Narmada river to your homes. I have built many schools for your children," he says.

The 3,000-odd supporters have been waiting for him for almost three hours. The little square in the market is chock-a-block and people have taken up places on balconies and rooftops too.

"You have the history of 45 years of misrule by the [opposition] Congress party. They question what I have done for the people. But I've been here only seven years. Now tell me, what did they do when they were in power?," he asks.

The audiences cheer him wildly.

"Do you want Narendra Modi to be your chief minister again," he asks?

"Yes!" the response is loud and clear.

"Then vote for my candidate, vote for the lotus," he says. The flower is his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s election symbol.

The rally ends quickly, but for Modi's supporters, the three-hour-long wait is worth it.

"Everyone wants him to win," says one supporter. "In the last election, five years ago, Bharatiya Janata Party got 128 seats. This time we'll get 150 seats. Modi has done lots for the development of the state, he's also destroyed terrorism."

Hitesh Joshi, a Kathlal resident says, "Modi is our pride. Congress cannot beat him. No force in the world can defeat him."

The chief minister is a controversial figure and is loved and hated in equal measure.

A big blot on his record came five years ago when more than a thousand Muslims were killed in riots after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire in Godhra town, allegedly by a Muslim mob.