Modi and BJP succeeded in converting these elections as Modi Vs rest campaign. Modi was setting the agenda and others were just responding to him. Proving all apprehensions regarding Modi's inability to win over allies wrong, the BJP went into polls with around 25 pre-poll allies, a first for the party in its history.
The Congress party never looked like trying its best to win the general elections for a third time in a row. Rahul Gandhi travelled across the country and addressed rallies but somehow couldn't connect with the masses. It's not that he had no vision but the problem was that he failed to effectively communicate the message to the electorate. The arrival of Priyanka Gandhi on the horizon boosted the morale of Congress works and she succeeded in attracting media attention but the party decided to restrict her to the two constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli and this decision was questioned by many political observers. May be, the party decided to reserve its trump card for 2019.
The party went soft on its Saharanpur candidate Imran Masood who was caught on tape saying he will cut Modi into pieces. Surprisingly, Rahul Gandhi campaigned for him in presence of his wife and kids. Some political observers accused Rahul of indirectly supporting Masood to polarize the electorate.
The Aam Admi Party (AAP) has fielded candidates in more than 400 LS constituencies but all eyes are set on the party candidates in Varanasi and Amethi. Party supremo Arvind kejriwal is taking on Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency while Kumar Vishwas is challenging Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. Apart from these two constituencies, the AAP failed to register its presence in other constituencies. Shazia Ilmi, AAP's candidate from Ghaziabad, goofed up when she was caught on tape saying that the Muslim community should get communal this time. This was a setback for the party which targeted Modi for spreading communalism.
