BJP on course correction mode aFter Poll deFeats

All state units have been asked to reach out to voters through booth level workers.

Having suffered a severe blow from the defeats in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party is on a course correction mode. Connecting to its core voters, strong political alliance in key states and publicising achievements of the Narendra Modi government have been listed as priorities in the BJP’s action plan for the 2019 general elections. The BJP may also consider the political route for construction of the Ram Temple to polarise Hindu voters, besides resorting to populist measures like farm loan waiver and tax relaxations for the middle class.

Well-placed sources in the BJP said that the social engineering formula aims at galvanizing the party’s frontal wings to target major vote banks like Baniyas, Dalits, women and youth in the run-up to the polls next year. A senior BJP leader said the traders or the Baniya community, who are the BJP’s core voters, are particularly upset with the party in the wake of the demonetisation move in 2016 and later implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) last year. Initial assessment of the poll results in the three states has revealed that not only did traders vote against the BJP, even upper caste Hindu voters drifted away from the saffron party. The amendment in the SC/ST Act by the government is primarily responsible for the displeasure of upper caste Hindu voters who are considered the traditional vote bank of the BJP.

Sources said that the party high command has asked all state units to reach out to voters through booth level workers. In Madhya Pradesh, BJP’s booth level workers essentially failed to bring voters to the polling booths despite the strong presence of RSS cadre at the ground level in the state. Similarly, the neglect of Brahmin and Baniya voters made the BJP pay a heavy price in Rajasthan.

A BJP leader said: “We ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for 15 years, but failure to address farm distress, create more jobs and deal with a more ag- gressive Congress. These turned out to be the major shortcomings in the BJP’s campaign.”

On Thursday, BJP president Amit Shah held a meeting with senior BJP leaders to deliberate upon the party’s action plan for the general elections. The party’s national office bearers, state unit presidents, in-charges of the different states and some others invitees attended the meeting. A senior BJP leader present in the meeting told The Sunday Guardian: “The top leadership has asked state units to strengthen the organisation at the lowest level, strike a better rapport with booth level workers and have workable relations with political allies. Allies breaking away from the NDA at this juncture could be detrimental for the BJP’s poll prospects. It is also the responsibility of the state unit’s leaders to keep the alliance with regional parties intact.” Party leaders hinted at the BJP’s souring relations with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and said that the leadership must try to stop allies from going away. Similarly, the BJP will need the support of regional parties in the South.

During the meeting, Shah talked about the preparedness of party “morchas” and chalked out future plans in an attempt to give a new touch to the party’s social engineering move.

Later, BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav announced programmes of the party beginning on 15 December, that will continue till February. The party will hold a two-day convention of its Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in New Delhi on 15-16 December, while a two-day National Executive meeting of the women’s wing will be held at Ahmedabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the twoday executive which will be attended by several women leaders. A two-day National Executive of the BJP’s Scheduled Caste Morcha will be organised in Nagpur, while a two-day meeting of its minority wing will take place in Delhi on the last day of January. Yadav said a twoday executive meeting of the OBC Morcha will be held at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan. The BJP will hold a two-day National Executive of its farmers’ cell in Uttar Pradesh.