SOUTHERN SURGE, EASTERN PROMISES
Party president Amit Shah has identified growth areas in states where the BJP has never had a presence
ODISHA
BJP LOK SABHA SEATS: 1
POINT MAN: Dharmendra Pradhan
STRENGTH: Has displaced the Congress as the principal opposition party
WEAKNESS: Is yet to prove itself in a major state election, assembly or Lok Sabha
OPPORTUNITY: Did well in the recent panchayat elections, grabbing 297 seats, and cutting into the bases of both BJD and Congress; Pradhan emerging as a major leader
THREATS: BJD party network still the major force in the state
KERALA
BJP LOK SABHA
SEATS: 0
POINT MAN: H. Raja
STRENGTH: Party has come into its own after 2014, widened its base, and finally started performing as an opposition party
WEAKNESS: Yet to find a credible ally among the minority groups, which make up 45% of the population
OPPORTUNITY: The BJP’s popularity goes through ups and downs, but membership has gone up to 1.5 million, vote share has crossed 10%
THREATS: Still to identify a political platform. Usually planks like beef ban are a no-go
TAMIL NADU
BJP LOK SABHA
SEATS: 1
POINT MAN: Muralidhar Rao
STRENGTH: Rising disillusionment with Dravidian politics; DMK, AIADMK bereft of charismatic leaders; anti-corruption stand WEAKNESS: Lack of influential leaders in the party; absence of a vibrant base in most districts
OPPORTUNITY: Rope in an actor with pan-Tamil Nadu appeal and iconic status, possibly Rajinikanth; poach leaders with potential ready to shake off the Dravidian tag
THREATS: DMK scion M.K. Stalin spoiling the party; events like jallikattu scuppering the party
WEST BENGAL
BJP LOK SABHA SEATS: 2 POINT MAN: Kailash Vijayvargiya
STRENGTH: Vote share has jumped two-fold and more in a year in assembly byelection WEAKNESS: No charismatic leaders in state unit to take on Mamata Banerjee in the popularity stakes
OPPORTUNITY: Hindutva revival against ‘Muslim appeasement’, Ramnavami processions see massive response
THREATS: A Left revival in the state could upset all plans
TELANGANA
BJP LOK SABHA
SEATS: 1
POINT MAN: Muralidhar Rao
STRENGTH: TRS appeasing Muslims by offering 12 per cent reservations gives party a peg; weak Congress leadership
WEAKNESS: Leaders are confined to Hyderabad; absence of a vibrant party network in most districts
OPPORTUNITY: Polarise votes in 60 of the 119 assembly constituencies with a sizeable Muslim population; poach leaders with potential
THREATS: TRS still a force, CM K. Chandrasekhara Rao holds sway as state’s founding father