NEW DELHI: An Ahmedabad-based company has filed to trademark Namo , the acronym by which Gujarat chief minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is becoming widely known around the country. Take India Beyond Merchandising has filed dozens of applications on various versions of the name in Hindi and English. These include Namo, Namo Lekh, Namo and a sketch of a lion with the tagline — The Lion of India, Namo Mantra — Taking India Beyond and Namo Mantra — The Turning Point.The applications have been filed in various trademark classes including beer mugs, paper towels, lunch boxes, bed linen, dairy products, soft drinks, potato chips and others.Ketan Amichand Vora, one of the two promoters of Take India Beyond Merchandising, said the company has filed for the trademarks in order to leverage brand Namo.In the coming months, the company plans to launch Namo-branded merchandise, toys, colour paints for children, etc, he said.People close to Modi have been planning to start Namo-branded stores nationwide to sell various products including the distinctive kurtas that Modi wears, books, candles, incense sticks and various products as part of the effort to drum up support for the candidate in national elections next year.One person close to the Namo retail push said the group behind Take India Beyond is the same as that’s associated with the retail venture. They said the retail rollout was on hold as Delhi, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh were in the process of holding state elections. With these having got over, the plan will now proceed, they said. The venture is in talks with malls in cities including Delhi and Ahmedabad for taking on retail space, they said.The applications were filed in September and most of them are currently being processed at the trademark office.However, some applications may be contested by others who have already filed to trademark the name under various categories before the Namo brand became famous in the last year or so.For example, Gun Sagar Jain has been using the Namo brand since 2000 and has also registered it for the distribution and wholesale retailing of hosiery garments. Namo India Developments applied in September 2012 to trademark the name under building construction, repair and installation services. That application has been challenged, according to the website of India’s Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks.Take India Beyond Merchandising is the latest in a string of companies trying to capitalise on the aura of the BJP leader. In the recent past, sari merchants in Surat to hosiery makers in Ludhiana have introduced Namo-branded products hoping to make a quick buck. Market watchers estimate the overall product and merchandising market growing around the BJP leader to be around Rs 400-500 crore. That’s why Modi’s followers are preparing for a nationwide retail push to sell their own Namobranded products including apparel and general merchandise.This initiative comes with two aims — to build on the buzz around Modi and to fuel it further by creating lifestyle products that add to the appeal of the leader. Political analysts say it’s part of the Modi’s well-oiled PR machinery to strengthen his base in the run-up to the general elections next year.Some marketing experts are skeptical about a retail campaign bearing fruit. “Namo is a brand no doubt but using the brand to make t-shirts and soaps is another matter altogether,” said Santosh Desai, CEO of Future Brands