A shopkeeper shows crackers named after Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi at a shop in Patna City on Wednesday. Pictures by Sachin

A fiery Narendra Modi has dethroned a fizzled out Lalu Prasad in the firecracker market this year.

Since Lalu Prasad is lodged in a Ranchi jail, firecrackers named after him have disappeared from the market. During Diwalis, firecrackers on the former chief minister sold like hot cakes.

But this year, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is leading the “explosive” race with chief minister Nitish Kumar coming a distant second. There is hardly any buyer of firecrackers named after Lalu.

Crackers, bombs, sparklers and rockets named after Modi are going off the racks in minutes. On the other hand, firecrackers named after Nitish cost less and also die away easily.

“Firecrackers named after Narendra Modi are in huge demand. Don’t know why but people are going mad about brand Modi. There are at least 12 varieties of firecrackers, including rockets, sparklers, bullet bombs and classic bombs. Modi’s face embossed on firecracker packets is making all the difference,” said Rajesh Kumar, the owner of a firecracker shop in Khajekalan in Patna City.

He added that “Modi firecrackers” are not only high in demand but also high in price.

“They start from Rs 150 and go up to Rs 1,300. The firecrackers have more life than Nitish’s ones. A packet of Nitish mini bullet bombs would cost Rs 65 compared to Rs 85 of a Modi. However, the shocking part is there are no crackers named after Lalu and Rabri because there is no demand,” said Rajesh.

Till last year, firecrackers named after Nitish, Lalu and Rabri were the most sought-after. “Nitish firecrackers had outsold all other brands in 2012. But this year, Narendra Modi is the clear winner,” he said.

Bakerganj resident Atul Kumar expressed his enthusiasm while purchasing crackers.

“Cracker makers have given people a good option by naming their products after Narendra Modi. I don’t mind paying more for a packet of Modi. Crackers such as Modi bullets and Modi classic bombs go well with his personality. Crackers named after Nitish are smaller in size,” he said.

His words were true as very few showed interest in Nitish the cracker.

Shop owner Mohammad Salim of Patna City said: “Modi rockets are the first preference of buyers. The rockets travel higher in the sky and explode into colourful sparkles. I never imagined that Modi-printed crackers will be accepted so much in Bihar. I had ordered 500 packets of every variety of ‘Modi firecrackers’ and most of them have been sold out. I have ordered for more but I am afraid that I might incur loss if the crackers don’t arrive on time.”