BJP President Amit Shah’s plans for upcoming Assembly elections 2014

BJP President Amit Shah’s plans for upcoming Assembly elections 2014

It is important that BJP wins hands down in all these States in order to maintain its winning streak. The party has already started making the cut to that effect with its president Amit Shah knitting strategy for the ensuing Assembly elections. A week after he took charge as the BJP president, Shah along with party general secretary JP Nadda and RSS point person in BJP Ram Madhav have met the core committees of the poll bound States to take sense of the poll preparations.

Amit Shah knows his job well. He has a track record of successfully managing elections. His managerial acumen helped the BJP win four successive terms in Gujarat. His formidable organisational skills delivered Uttar Pradesh to BJP in the last Lok Sabha election. To make BJP sail through the crucial Assembly elections, Shah, the master strategist has his own plans. He has already outlined strategies and asked the party units of the poll bound States for their effective implementations.

Broadly, Shah has asked the State units to do a solid ground work. He has asked the presidents of the four poll bound States to categorise each constituency on the basis of local issues, possible anti-incumbency against the sitting MLAs and the winning chances for the party. With these details, they have been asked to report to the BJP top brass by August 10. Moreover, Shah has asked the State unit chiefs to micromanage the poll preparations and told the prabharis (in-charge) and Central observers of the respective States to oversee it. To reach out to the prospective voters from all segments and age groups, and to tap into young and first-time voters are on Shah’s agenda.

Maharashtra

Of the four States, Maharashtra is the most crucial in BJP’s scheme of things. The party has the opportunity to wrest power from the Congress-NCP combine after a gap of decade-and-a-half. In 2014 Lok Sabha election, BJP gave its best performance ever. The party went to polls in a mahayuti (grand alliance) with Shiv Sena, RPI (A) and Swabhimani Paksha. Riding on the Modi wave, the BJP-led alliance won 42 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the State. BJP won 23, while its alliance partners Shiv Sena and Swabhimani Paksha won 18 and 1 respectively. The Congress bit the dust by winning a mere 2 seats and its alliance partner NCP 1. With 27 per cent vote share, BJP is now the number 1 party in Maharashtra post-Lok Sabha election.

To convert the Lok Sabha performance into an Assembly election victory, Amit Shah has his plans. Going by his instruction, the State leaders have identified the constituencies where the party is weak. There are 19 Assembly segments in which the BJP never won and 100 constituencies where the party won at least once. Shah has asked the party leaders to chalk out a winning formula for these constituencies in the first place.

The BJP president has also asked the Ministers in Narendra Modi Cabinet to spend day in each of the 288 Assembly constituencies in Maharashtra for campaigning. Amit Shah has made it clear to the State leadership that the party will fight the electoral battle on an equal footing with the Shiv Sena and the decision on Chief Minister’s chair be left to the poll result. In addition, there is no doubt that in the run up to the election, the BJP will stake claim for more Assembly seats than Sena. There can be some minor squabble between the two alliance partners, but BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will remain intact because it is natural and an ideological one. And finally Shiv Sena will have no choice but to adhere to BJP’s decision.

Haryana

Haryana is another politically crucial State. The last Lok Sabha election has witnessed a paradigm shift in State’s politics. Riding on the Modi wave, the BJP won seven of the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies and registered a lead in as many as 53 of the 90 Assembly segments in the Lok Sabha election. The ruling Congress won just one seat. With 34 per cent vote share, the BJP is now the number 1 party in Haryana post-Lok Sabha election. For Assembly elections, Shah has asked the Haryana BJP president to identify the electoral issues against the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government. Kuldeep Bishnoi-led HJC, which is in alliance with BJP, is defiant on 45-45 seat sharing formula and two-and-a-half-year Chief Ministership arrangement, an announcement made when the alliance was sealed in 2012. But the State’s political cosmos have changed after the HJC lost two seats it contested to Om Prakash Chautala’s INLD. In changed political circumstances, HJC’s demand can only be termed as unjust and wild. While the BJP-HJC alliance’s fate is hanging in balance, the BJP is keeping a coalition option with INLD open. The party which has already launched a ‘Mission 46’ in Haryana is in no way compromising on the Chief Minister’s chair.

Jharkhand

The BJP is on a good wicket in Jharkhand. By winning 12 of the 14 Parliamentary constituencies, the party registered the best performance ever in the State in the last Lok Sabha election. Shibu Soren’s JMM which is sharing power with Congress in the State won 2 seats, while Congress came a cropper. With a vote share of a whopping 40 per cent, the BJP is now the number 1 party in Jharkhand. In the run up to the Assembly election, Shah has asked the State leaders to prepare a data bank for each of the 100 Assembly constituencies. The State leaders were also asked to prepare a separate list of people looking forward to join BJP. Reports suggest that there can be a huge outflow of workers from JMM, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha and Congress to the BJP. In addition, the BJP is likely to induct ‘heavyweights’ from these parties ahead of the Assembly election as part of well calculated strategy.

Jammu & Kashmir

Experts say BJP’s winning chances in the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly election is bright. In 2014 Lok Sabha election, BJP won 3 of the 6 Parliamentary constituencies in Jammu & Kashmir surpassing Congress, PDP and National Conference. With 32 per cent vote share, BJP is the number 1 party in J&K post-Lok Sabha election. Giving the Assembly election preparation a push, Amit Shah has asked the State leaders to thoroughly expose the wild minority appeasement policy and rampant misgovernace of Omar Abdullah Government. Shah asked the State BJP to cultivate the Bakarwals in Kashmir, the Buddhists in Jammu apart from the Kashmiri Pandits. He has asked the State leaders to galvanise the party cadre and work hard with devotion.

Amit Shah is determined to strike gold for the saffron party in the upcoming Assembly elections. Surely, his efforts will deliver.

source:niticentral

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