Gujarat elections 2017: BJP turns to 'magicians' for victory in Assembly polls

NEW DELHI: While Congress is using all possible political formulas to end its 22 years of political exile in Gujarat, the BJP has now turned to magicians to help the party retain its saffron fortress in the upcoming Assembly elections. In the state, where the ruling BJP is facing a tough fight this time, the party has improvised with bringing magicians in the field to seek votes for its candidates. In BJP's 'magic campaign' 36 teams of magicians will cover 144 constituencies and reach out to 800 villages in next 20 days. "We have formed 36 teams of magicians which will travel to 144 constituencies to campaign for the party. From 8 am to 10 pm, these teams will work with party workers to tell people, in an innovative way, about the development that has taken place during BJP rule," a Gujarat BJP leader said. Recently, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a magician, who made money "disappear" from Gujarat through "magic" in the last two decades of the BJP rule. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP after a hiatus over two decades in Gujarat while the BJP is banking upon PM Narendra Modi's popularity to clinch the state once again. Hoping to garner the support of various communities in Gujarat polls, the Congress had invited Patidar quota stir spearhead Hardik Patel, Thakor community leader Alpesh Thakor and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani to join hands with the party to defeat the ruling BJP. While Alpesh Thakor has already joined hands with Congress, Jignesh and Hardik have also hinted at supporting the grand old party in the upcoming polls. The polling for the two-phase elections for the 182 seats will be held on December 9 and December 14. The counting of votes will be done on December 18.