Mehsana: The biggies battling it out in Gujarat. But here the defendant is the aggressor. So despite a Supreme Court order to probe his role in the Gujarat riots, Chief Minister Narendra Modi still goes on the offensive using the setback to his advantage.
"Kapil Sibbal had said 15 days back that Modi should ready himself for jail and now the Supreme Court noose comes around my neck. What does it mean? I will die for this state," he says in a rally.
On the last day of the campaigning, Modi pulled all stops to encash on the Supreme Court order against him hoping that it would do what Sohrabudin fake encounter case did in the assembly elections.
The Congress on the other hand was yet again wary of targetting Modi on the riot issue fearing that it could be counter productive.
So Rahul Gandhi, on a whirlwind tour of the state, didn't even mention the controversy and stuck to the congress' tried and tested poor theme.
"The NDA has created two India's. One of the poor and the other of the rich. One of the development; another of backwardness," he said in Anand.
It is a strategy the experts say both parties will continue through this campaign. The Congress is worried any reminders of the Gujarat riots will only help the BJP and Modi. Modi is likely to switch gears, and go from his development plank back to religious rhetoric. What will work in whose favour only time will tell.