This time in Gujarat the contest was more direct and most straight, with the NCP and BJP dissidents led by Keshubhai Patel openly aligning against Modi. On day one, Sonia turned the state election in Gujarat into a national affair. Also her by now famous %u2018%u2018Maut ka saudagar%u2019%u2019 (%u2018merchant of death%u2019) attack on Modi made him the central issue. For Modi, who set his competence against his adversaries%u2019 contempt for him, Sonia%u2019s attack on him proved the jackpot that positioned him against Sonia automatically.
The Gujarat election thus turned out to be a direct contest between Sonia and Modi. All pre-election reports said that the Congress was banking on the %u2018Sonia effect%u2019 to beat Modi. She addressed election rallies in as many as 13 constituencies, according to reports.
Her shadow was all over Gujarat. As results showing the decimation of the Congress started coming out, the omnipresent Sonia disappeared from the post-election theatre. Instead of tracing her out, the media began tracking and discussing who was the real winner %u2013 Modi or BJP %u2013 and who was the loser %u2013 BJP or Advani or Rajnath, or the Congress. But no one would dare add the name of the person on whose strength the Congress had almost proclaimed victory in Gujarat and lost %u2013 Sonia. In eight of the 13 constituencies in which she addressed huge rallies, the party lost. While the media reported the huge rallies of Sonia before the polls, it would not report that the party lost most of the seats where she held rallies.
