Bangalore:
A technical snag grounded key members of the BJP central leadership as they attempted to travel to Bangalore by a special aircraft to address a rally of party workers ahead of the Karnataka elections. Party president, Rajnath Singh, finally used video conferencing to bridge the distance - but it may take more than technology to really help the party's campaign to take off.
The BJP, after five years of turbulent rule, is on the back foot as it heads into the elections due in early May. Corruption allegations were a big issue for the party - and some of those corruption charges saw the departure of its first chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and claimed the wickets of several other ministers as well. This damaged the party's image but there was a further fallout as well.
The rebellious Yeddyurappa, angry when he was not reinstated as chief minister, hit out at party leadership and finally left to join the newly minted Karnataka Janata Party. He was joined by his loyalists within the BJP, reducing the party to a slender majority. And the KJP is bound to act as a spoiler for the ruling party.
Would the presence of potential prime ministerial candidate, Gujarat's Narendra Modi, brighten up the campaign?
Many party workers seem to think so. One man at the Bangalore rally said, "If Narendra Modi comes here - we will win every single seat in Karnataka! 100 %!"
But so far, there are no confirmed dates for Modi's campaign in Karnataka. The BJP, which says he will be part of the campaign in its later stages, knows he has star power - and cannot be ignored. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said, "Narendra Modi has become the darling of the masses in the entire country. Even the media is clamouring for Narendra Modi. In every press conference, out of ten, there are six questions about Narendra Modi. That speaks of his goodness."
But will Modi really have an impact in distant Karnataka? The state chief of the Congress, G Parameshwar told NDTV, "I don't think he can cover up the legacy of the Bharatiya Janata Party for the last five years, what they have done, either in terms of corruption or maladministration. I don't think Modi can come here and justify these actions of the BJP leadership."
And there are still questions as to how much Modi himself would want to associate with what could very well be a lost cause - that of returning the BJP to power in Karnataka.