BJP’S 3-day meet to discuss LS poll strategy begins

NEW DELHI: At least 10,000 members of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’S national council will gather in New Delhi from Thursday for a three-day conclave to discuss preparations for the national elections due in April and May this year.

The conclave would begin with BJP chief Amit Shah’s speech on Thursday. It will conclude with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pep talk on Saturday.

A meeting of the national council on such a scale has been called for the first time, a BJP leader said. The council meets once a year with roughly 3000plus leaders in attendance. “Leaders from up to district units [level] have been invited for the conclave which comes months ahead of the crucial parliamentary election,” the leader said.

The conclave will possibly be the last such BJP event before the elections. It is being organised as the BJP is trying to overcome the setback it faced with the loss of power to the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh after the elections held in November and December.

“... a couple of resolutions covering economics, politics and other relevant subjects [will be passed at the conclave],” a second BJP leader said.

BJP strategists said the party’s strategy for the conclave and afterwards is two-fold. It will attempt to set a “positive narrative” for the party by again showcasing the “impressive size” of beneficiaries of central schemes.

The BJP says about 220 million people have benefitted from the schemes. The schemes include the flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The BJP says it has covered over 500 million people. The party will also try to dismiss criticism on the economic front by focussing on how India has attained the status of the world’s sixth largest economy last year. It would highlight how India will soon become the fifth largest economy, the strategists said.

The BJP would seek to counter the Opposition’s attempts to form a grand alliance by highlighting how it could push the country into a state of political instability again.

The proposal to provide the economically weaker sections 10% quota in educational institutions and government jobs will be “hailed” at the conclave.

The party will try to step up preparedness on the organisational front by roping in talent from across the country for specific election-related jobs.

“In the backdrop of the main conclave, there will be separate meetings with state leaders to brief them about the jobs they are required to perform,” the second BJP leader said.

Centre for Reforms, Development and Justice president Sidharth Mishra called a repeat of the BJP’S 2014 type performance a challenge for the party. “Its main challenge is to retain the vote share it got in the previous parliamentary election,’’ he said.