New Delhi : BJP on Monday welcomed Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s contention that there will be a Narendra Modi ‘effect’ in the forthcoming elections and suggested that Congress should also accept this fact.

“It is good that Omar Abdullah has accepted that Modi is a factor in these elections. This is something that the Congress is not yet ready to accept,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said, adding that the ruling party should come around to accepting the fact. Asked about Omar’s view that though Modi will be an influence in the polls, there is no “Modi wave”, he said, “He has the freedom to say so.

” BJP has claimed that the mammoth crowds at Modi’s rallies show there is a euphoria in the country about its prime ministerial candidate. The opinion polls have also favoured Modi over Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the likely prime minister of the country. Omar had noted that there is a Modi effect in the elections but ruled out a wave in his favour as an exaggeration. “It would be wrong on our part to deny any influence of Modi in the elections–I cannot say there is Modi wave –there is effect of Modi,” Omar told reporters in Jammu earlier in the day.

In response to a query about “Modi wave” going on in the country ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Omar said, “I think Modi wave would be a bit of an exaggeration”. “There is an effect of Modi– That effect may not be on the average voter but it is visible on cadres of BJP. What impact it will have on elections let us wait and watch,” the chief minister said.