Farmers Movement Archive

UP BJP plans to make 100 new members in each of 1.63 cr booths

Lucknow: In an ambitious political move ahead of the high-stake UP assembly elections, the BJP has set the target of making 100 new members in each of the 1.63 lakh polling booths in the state. This translates into 1.63 crore new party supporters, which is more than 47% of the total around 3.44 crore votes -- a vote share of 39.67% -- polled in favour of the BJP in 2017 assembly elections, when the saffron political outfit bagged 312 of the 384 seats it contested. The elaborate plan entails booth-level functionaries making spirited efforts in reaching out to first-time voters who will be attaining an age of 18 years by January 1, 2022. Besides this, the party will seek to cut into the vote bank of the opposition, especially the SP and BSP, which have been positioning aggressively against the ruling dispensation. BJP's zealous target is, in fact, comparatively just less than the total votes polled in favour of the SP (1.89 crore) and the BSP (1.92 crore) in the previous assembly elections. Experts also interpret this as the BJP's attempt to compensate for the loss of votes which the party may suffer in the wake of a potential anti-incumbency factor. Sources said that the saffron outfit will be intimately helped by the Sangh Parivar, essentially the RSS and the VHP. Coming close on the heels of `Booth Vijay Abhiyan' (booth victory campaign) kicked off by BJP national president JP Nadda on Saturday, the strategy hinges on the invocation of popularity of PM Narendra Modi and "damdaar" governance of CM Yogi Adityanath. "Making new members is the ongoing process of the party. We will further step up our efforts to reach out to the maximum possible people in the state. We have given the target of making 100 new members every booth," UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh told TOI. BJP strategists believe that an apparent erosion in the vote base of the regional political players including the SP and BSP makes enough room for the party to flex its political muscles and move closer to people, especially the youth. As per the plan, the party's foot soldiers will strategically befriend new people before making them aware about BJP ideology vis-a-vis opposition. "Our party leaders even meet children who otherwise have no political ambitions. This makes his/her family feel gratified and brings it closer to the party," said a senior BJP leader. The seven frontal organisations of the BJP have already been pumped up by the party brass to expedite the electoral spade work. The Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of BJP, is expected to play a crucial role in intensifying the party's outreach among the youth and the first-time voters. Likewise, the Kisan Morcha has been asked to counter opposition narratives stoking discontent among the farmers about the three farm laws. The party, at the same time, is unlikely to shy away from playing the caste card as and when required.

The Times of India

2021-09-13

Lucknow