PM Narendra Modi changes name on Twitter, top BJP ministers follow lead to advance the 'Main bhi Chowkidar' campaign

Giving momentum to BJP's Modi's 'Main bhi Chowkidar' pre-poll campaign, PM Modi, party president Amit Shah, an array of Union Ministers and leaders have prefixed their names with 'Chowkidar'

Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Prakash Javdekar and leaders including former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Amit Malviya. 

The move was in solidarity to PM Modi's campaign after he tweeted a video showing how all Indians are 'chowkidars'

"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.

READ| Union Minister Smriti Irani Prefixes Her Name With 'Chowkidar' Pushes Ahead 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' Campaign

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.

The campaign was launched in the morning on Saturday. But by noon on the very same day, it became the biggest talking point on the social media website. Within hours after initiating the campaign, BJP's #MainBhiChowkidar became the No.1 worldwide trend on the internet, taking the social media, especially Twitter by storm. 

READ | BJP's #MainBhiChowkidar Poll Campaign Takes Off On Twitter, Trends Top Globally Within Hours Of Launch

'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.

A similar strategy was adopted by the BJP ahead of the 2014 general elections, wherein the party turned around senior Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar's "chaiwallah" jibe into a mass campaign.

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.  

READ| Rahul Gandhi Continues 'chowkidar Chor Hai' Tirade Against PM Modi Even As BJP Launches #MainBhiChowkidar campaign