Journalists in Delhi had been wondering whether a prominent national newspaper would once again feature an extensive interview of Union Home Minister Amit Shah early November, in conformity with its established norm of doing so before every significant bunch of Assembly elections. They were not disappointed: days before Madhya Pradesh voted last week, Shah popped out from one of the pages of that newspaper, smiling, with his fist in the air, reeling out his predictions for the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

The interview with Shah opened with the question: “How do you assess BJP’s prospects in this round of state polls?” No prizes for guessing Shah’s answer, for would any leader of the top two contending parties in any election accept defeat amidst campaigning? Sure enough, Shah said, “I think BJP is on a strong footing in all three states and we will win all three, margins can vary.”