Truth vs Hype

If the BJP is to be believed, the contest in Benares is a one-sided affair. Narendra Modi, they say, will win with a record margin. But as Arvind Kejriwal arrives in the city to camp here till the elections, and a local Congress strongman hits the campaign trail, has the fight for Benares become more interesting? This week, we cut through the hyperbole around the battle for Benares to deconstruct with facts and ground reportage in one of the most closely watched contests in this election.

Last week, we had reported on the Sangh Parivar's divisive campaign for the BJP. This week, we look at the other side of what is becoming an increasingly polarised campaign: the political hunt for Muslim votes. For mainstream parties, this means seeking endorsements from opportunistic clerics, who switch sides with every election. Some say this is not only ethically dubious, but might even constitute potential violation of election law.

By the RSS' own admission, this time, more than ever before, they have thrown their full weight behind the BJP's campaign. The RSS claims the support is only confined to updating voter rolls and booth management, and to tell voters that the UPA government must be rejected in favour of the BJP. But as we find on the ground in Western Uttar Pradesh, the RSS cadre is carrying a very different message with strong Hindutva overtones, as they spell out in candid terms why they are inspired by Modi, and what do they expect in return, should a Modi sarkar become a reality.

For long, the BJP's face in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, has chosen to make his debut in the Lok Sabha from Amritsar, as he gets ready to play a bigger role in the Modi-era BJP. This week, we travel to Amritsar to witness whether Mr Jaitley has been able to transform himself from backroom strategist to mass politician, even as he juggles the role of the BJP's main firefighter. Mr Jaitley opens up in a candid interview on his friendship with Narendra Modi, the power struggles within the BJP, and his own national ambitions.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley says not just Sushma Swaraj, he too was hurt at the decision by the party on Jaswant Singh not contesting from Barmer. Mr Jaitley also says he hopes Mr Singh sees reason and retracts his decision to contest. "If the party tells one to work for the party, then one must learn to accept that," he adds.

Sharad Pawar, chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and an old UPA ally, continued to leave room for doubt over his proximity to Narendra Modi and the BJP. In an exclusive interview to NDTV from his Mumbai residence, he said that while he is very much with the Congress-led UPA, now and after the elections, he also shared a good equation with Mr Modi, just as he does with leaders of all political parties. Mr Pawar said that he didn't believe in the politics of enmity.

Sharad Pawar, chief of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and an old UPA ally, continues to leave room for doubt over his proximity to Narendra Modi and the BJP.

We hit the campaign trail with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, as she makes a bid for the country's top job. But for the first time since 1972, the AIADMK is fighting alone, without any allies. Will Ms Jayalalithaa be able to fight a solo campaign, on the back of the thousands of crores of free handouts that her government has promised voters? And will she be able to shake off a controversial legacy of corruption cases that still haunt her?

On Truth vs Hype, from this week onwards, we profile the key contenders of battleground 2014. This week, Nitish Kumar, who has trained his guns on Narendra Modi, telling us, in an extensive interview that he is more qualified to be Prime Minister than the BJP's PM candidate, or any of those in the fray. But first Nitish must win big in his home state, where the ground may be shifting beneath his feet.

All that the two national parties take for granted as part of the election campaign - mega rallies, private jets and multi crore PR campaigns - has come under intense scrutiny after the arrival of the Aam Aadmi Party. This week, we attempt to investigate the secretive world of campaign funding - how much does it all cost? And where is the money coming from to fund the Modi and Rahul spin machine?