Why the BJP is focussing on the eastern front

The party knows that replicating its feat in the north, west will be difficult in 2019

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has begun his campaign for 2019. Through June, he has been travelling across states to strengthen the party’s organisational muscle. But his itinerary of the past week gives a glimpse into the party’s key electoral priority. Mr Shah spent three days in West Bengal. He then visited Manipur, where he met chief ministers and prominent leaders of the party from across the Northeast. And then travelled to Odisha on Sunday.

In all three states, the BJP has made considerable strides in the past few years. In West Bengal, it came second in the panchayat elections and is on its way to become the primary opposition player. In Odisha too, the party did well in the panchayat polls and has made an aggressive push, holding its party national executive last year in Bhubaneswar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrating his government’s fourth anniversary in the state. In the Northeast, the BJP has won elections or formed governments in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya, and is eyeing Mizoram. The party now aims to translate these gains into Lok Sabha victories.

The east contributes 88 seats to the Lok Sabha, out of which the BJP won 11 in 2014. It is well aware that replicating its spectacular performance in North and West will be difficult. To offset these losses, the BJP wants to go up from 11 to over 55 seats in the Northeast. Whether these efforts will yield dividends will only be known next year but the intensity of Mr Shah’s effort gives an insight into the party’s 2019 strategy.