Gujarat poll: The big questions

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday announced that Gujarat will have Assembly elections in two phases - December 13 and 17 and the counting of votes will take place on December 20.

Campaigning has already started and the state is witnessing a lot of action with both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Congress leaving no stones unturned to mobilise their supporters. Chief Minister Narendra Modi is already touring the state while Congress President Sonia Gandhi kicked off her party's election campaign from Rajkot on Wednesday. Modi while listing his government's achievements has also launched a personal attack on Sonia and alleged that the government has spent Rs 1,880 crore on her foreign trips and treatment abroad.

For Modi, the elections are seen as a big test because if he is re-elected, it will be his third successive term as the Chief Minister. This victory is also likely to boost his chances of being projected as the BJP's prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

For Narendra Modi, the elections are seen as a big test because if he is re-elected, it will be his third successive term as the CM.

Factors that may decide Modi's fate:

• Can Narendra Modi defy anti-incumbency in his third bid?
• Will the Congress manage to challenge Modi's development pitch?
• Will Modi's anti-Sonia and Rahul campaign work?
• Will Modi's pitch of CBI being misused against him work?
• Can CBI chargesheets in key fake encounter cases impact results?
• Will partial drought in Gujarat impact voting decisions?
• Will delimitation of Assembly seats impact voting patterns?
• Will Keshubhai factor make a difference to BJP's fortunes?

The last Gujarat Assembly elections in 2007 were won by the BJP with the party alone winning 117 seats out of 182. The Congress had won 59, the NCP three seats, the IND won two and the JD(U) just one.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)