The BJP is pulling out all stops for its Lok Sabha campaign in Maharashtra. Every little detail is being looked into, whether it is ensuring that its cadres are carrying enough buttermilk to beat the heat, or constantly motivating the 32,000-odd booth level personnel to stay in touch with voters.
The party is contesting half of the 48 seats in the State, leaving the rest to alliance partners — Shiv Sena, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana and the Republican Party of India (A).
Among the big names from the BJP contesting the elections are: Nitin Gadkari (Nagpur) and Gopinath Munde (Beed).
Two prominent banners greet you when you step into the State BJP office opposite LIC headquarters in the bustling Churchgate area. While one proclaims ‘Vote for India, Vote for Modi’ the other declares, ‘Suraajya (Good State), Sushaasan (Good Government) and Samruddhi (Development).’
Shrikant Bharatiya, the ‘war-room’ convenor, is in the thick of activity, even as his phones ring incessantly. “Planning in detail and training in advance is the key,” he says.
With its present tally being nine Lok Sabha MPs from Maharashtra, the BJP is hoping to ride the Modi juggernaut to increase this number.
It is also for the first time that party workers, who are part of the election office of the 24 hopefuls in the fray, have undergone a day’s training on the department/portfolio they are handling. The office of each candidate comprises seven departments — tour, public meetings, social media, media, election office management, model code of conduct and expenses. Each of these is manned by three activists on an average.
Call centre Nearly 40 trained workers at the party’s Aurangabad ‘call centre’ have been mandated to operate the phones and motivate booth-level activists to reach out to the voters. They also get an update on the number of voters contacted and if the cadres face any difficulties in this exercise. The ‘war-room’ then uses the information generated by the call centre to take appropriate action.
Bharatiya (whose name resonates with the party) has been with the BJP for nearly two decades. According to him, the party wants members to establish a heart-to-heart connect with voters so that they turnout in huge numbers on polling day. “If the turnout is heavy, we stand a better chance,” says the former lecturer in management.
Mukund Kulkarni, Office Secretary, BJP Maharashtra, said 20 committees have been formed at the party’s State election office to support election activities in the constituencies. The committees include those relating to manifesto, publicity and propaganda, rallies, new voters, public participation and opinion assessment, drawing up charge-sheets against misrule of the ruling alliance, logistics and booth coordination.
Modi wave Clearly, all this involves tremendous work, but the BJP hopes there will be the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The Modi wave is its biggest plank in Maharashtra too and the coming weeks will show what effect this has had on the voters. Till then, it is work and more work for the party cadres.