'Chowkidar Narendra Modi': PM renames Twitter handle; BJP leaders follow

Mar 17 (AZINS) A day after kick-starting the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday renamed his Twitter account to "Chowkidar Narendra Modi".

Soon after, top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders including party president Amit Shah, Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Harsh Vardhan and Dharmendra Pradhan also added the prefix "Chowkidar" to their Twitter handles.

The BJP has launched a massive social media campaign centred around opposition Congress' jibe "Chowkidar Chor Hai" over allegations of wrongdoings in Rafale deal negotiations. Turning the Congress attack on its head, the Prime Minister on Saturday launched BJP's 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign with a song.

Modi asked participation of all Indians in the campaign using #MainBhiChowkidar.

"Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation. But, I am not alone. Everyone who is fighting corruption, dirt, social evils is a Chowkidar. Everyone working hard for the progress of India is a Chowkidar. Today, every Indian is saying-#MainBhiChowkidar," he tweeted, along with the video.

The origin of the word 'chowkidar' dates back to the poll campaigning ahead of the 2014 general elections when Modi had promised to work as a 'chowkidar' to guard the people's money and their trust once elected to the top office.

'Main Bhi Chowkidar' has been started after extensive surveys and data analysis by BJP strategists who feel that Congress president Rahul Gandhi's 'chowkidar chor hai' jibe and campaign is not resonating among people. The surveys also suggested that it is actually angering people in the country, according to a release.

This campaign is expected to drive the narrative of the Prime Minister's strong and decisive image which multiple surveys have conveyed is the main factor in the upcoming elections, the release mentioned.

Under the aegis of this campaign, the BJP has leveraged a tech innovation called conversation cards on Twitter, whereby people will get a personalized message from the Prime Minister on Twitter on participating in this campaign.

Prime Minister Modi is slated to interact with people from across the country on March 31 as a part of this campaign.

The Lok Sabha elections will begin on April 11 and continue for over a month till May 19 across seven phases, followed by counting of votes on May 23.