Battleready: BJP to unleash star power
BIGWIGS The party intends to use CM Yogi Adityanath, prominent union ministers and UP ministers for campaigning
LUCKNOW : The November-end civic polls in Uttar Pradesh are likely to be much different than before.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to use its star campaigners in these elections, including chief minister Yogi Adityanath, union ministers and UP ministers, a strategy that experts feel could change the lowkey level of campaigning associated with these urban local bodies’ polls.
Apart from the 16 municipal corporations, including the newly formed Ayodhya and Mathura corporations, elections will also be held for 198 nagar palika parishads and 438 nagar panchayats (semi urban bodies).
“In keeping with the directive of party chief Amit Shah we want to win all the polls, from panchayat to Parliament. We will sweep these polls too,” said UP BJP leader Harish Srivastava.
The BJP has already decided to field chief minister Yogi Adityanath along with host of other star campaigners, including union minister Smriti Irani, actor turned BJP MP Hema Malini, deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya, Dinesh Sharma and firebrand orators like Uma Bharti. “It also reflects worry in the BJP camp. If required we could overtake the BJP in star power but then a final decision would be taken by the party leadership,” said senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Asrey Vishwakarma. After a string of political reverses, former UP chief minister Mayawati’s BSP too has decided to contest the civic polls on party symbol for the first time. So has Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.
“These are the first major election after the 2017 UP polls and ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha battle that some say could be pre-poned. So while the BJP is trying to ensure that its cadres don’t get complacent and are in a battleready mode, for the Congress, SP, BSP and the AAP it’s an opportunity to tease the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. That’s why one is expecting a lot more intensity in these polls that have traditionally been fought on local issues like bijli, sadak and paani (power, road and water),” said Athar Siddiqui from the Centre of Objective Research and Development.
A senior BSP leader said the party plan was to embarrass the BJP in areas represented by its ministers.
“For instance if the BJP doesn’t do well in Ayodhya and Mathura, that have just been elevated to the status of municipal corporations, it would reflect poorly on the BJP. From what we gather there is considerable resentment against the BJP in Mathura and Vrindavan and corruption charges against its leaders who held key positions in Nagar Palika Parishads (semi-urban bodies),” a BSP leader said.
Sources say though the BJP ticket is most sought after, the clamour for a party ticket has also raised the prospect of dissenters who have been denied tickets working against the BJP.
“We have already appealed to cadre not to lose heart because the ticket after all can be given to just one person. Our cadres are disciplined and they know being members of the ruling party their responsibility is that much more,” said party general secretary Ashok Kataria.