Will Prime Minister Modi's hug with Pope warm BJP's ties with the Christian community?

NEW DELHI: One of the most eye-catching images that emerged from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Italy was that of him hugging Pope Francis.
The Prime Minister called his meeting with the Pope "very warm" and also invited him to visit India, an invitation that was "graciously accepted."
However, with assembly elections due early next year in some states, especially Goa and Manipur which have sizeable pockets of Christian influence, there are already talks of the political impact of PM Modi's meeting with the Pope.
This is not the first time that PM Modi's foreign visit has been linked to elections in India:
During the high-stake West Bengal assembly polls, PM Modi was on a visit to Bangladesh. His visit to the Matua temple at Orakandi then was linked to the attempts by the BJP to woo the Matua voters in West Bengal.
But can the BJP, a party that espouses Hindutva and opposes conversions, woo the Christian community using PM Modi's meeting with the Pope?
According to political scientist Nilanjan Sircar, such larger gestures can have impact but it would be limited unless it is accompanied by others measures that win the confidence of a community.
"The challenge for the BJP will be to demonstrate that it has the interests of the Christians at heart. We will have to see the other measures the BJP puts in place to woo the Christian community," Sircar said adding that without other measures the meeting between Modi and Pope would just be a stand alone act.
Asked about BJP's outreach to the Christian community in states like Kerala and Goa, where the party has also put up candidates belonging to the community, Sircar said "it can have impact" as in states personal equations mattered a lot especially in those small in size.
He, however, added that overall, if it was a question of wooing the community, it will have little impact unless there are other measures.
Past efforts:
The BJP has in the past also tried to reach out to the Christian community. In February 2015, PM Modi addressed the celebration of the elevation to sainthood of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia.
He also attended the 90th birth anniversary celebrations of Joseph Mar Thoma in June last year.
In his radio talks also, the Prime Minister has regularly spoken of the message of Christ as well as the legacy of people like Mother Teresa.
Goa polls:
Goa, where a quarter of the population belongs to the Christian community, is poll bound.
The community's support could be crucial in several constituencies for the BJP to return to power.
In 2012, the BJP announced that it would allot 25 % of the tickets for the assembly elections in the state to members of the Christian community.
At present, the party has nearly 14 Christian MLAs in the Goa assembly. Most of the BJP MLAs are Catholics and many of them had crossed over to its fold from the Congress.
Kerala:
In Kerala, the BJP has for a long time tried to woo the Christian community, which accounts for nearly 20% of the vote.
However, the BJP has traditionally been a minor player in the state. Anoop Antony Joseph, a BJP leader from Kerala who contested the last assembly election from Ambalappuzha in Alappuzha district, is however optimistic that the community is coming closer to the BJP.
"Prime Minister's visit to the Pope and invitation to India is a great gesture. It has provided confidence and excitement to Indian Christians. Kerala's Christian community has come very closer to BJP in the recent past. PM's visit to Pope has built on this and will help in strengthening BJP's relation with Christians. Bond between world's oldest civilisation and world's largest religious community is essential for world peace and keeping terrorism at bay. Especially when India is aspiring to become global leader of 21st century. PM's meeting has played a big role in strengthening the bond," Joseph said.
Other states:
In states like Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, Christians form the majority of the population. The community is in sizeable numbers in Manipur (41%), Arunachal Pradesh (30%), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (21 %).
Even in poll-bound Punjab the community has its pockets of influence. Any confidence-building measure could help the BJP in these states as well.
Other parties:
In the competitive world of Indian politics,BJP is not the only party that has tried to woo the Christian community. Several parties like the Congress and CPI(M) in Kerala have a traditional base among community members. Recently, tennis icon Leander Paes joined the Trinamool Congress in the presence of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Panaji. A Kolkata-resident, Paes also calls Goa his home as his father Vece Paes hailed from the state. Paes's presence could bolster the party's chances among the youth. Significantly, former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro is already with the TMC in Goa. In Punjab, a video of chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu chanting Hallelujah made rounds of the social media recently.
RSS reaction:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale welcomed the meeting of Prime Minister Modi with Pope Francis.
"It is natural for a head of State to meet another head of State. Vatican is a recognized State. We welcome this meeting because we believe in 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is a family)," Hosabale said.
According to newsreports, in Modi's meeting with the Pope on Saturday, the two leaders discussed the future of a post-Covid world and climate change among other issues.
The meeting went on for an hour beyond the scheduled 20 minutes.