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RS nomination: BJP bares cadre focus ahead of 2024 polls
Sudhanshu Trivedi, the only other upper-caste leader in the mix and the lone one to be repeated for another RS term, stated that the BJP’s picks demonstrate the party’s focus on the cadre.
LUCKNOW: Majority of the BJP’s Rajya Sabha picks from Uttar Pradesh (UP) were surprised, as the nomination came unexpectedly to them. They admitted that it has reinforced the party’s focus on ‘karyakartas’ (cadre) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
‘Karyakarta’ indeed was the buzzword during the filing of the RS nominations as some of them admitted they had no clue about their nomination until the call from party.
“Aaj aapne karyakarta hone ki taqat ka ahsas hua (today I realized the power of being a karyakarta),” said Sadhna Singh, a former lawmaker from Chandauli in eastern UP and a prominent upper-caste trade union leader.
“Sadhna ji has been prominently associated with all traders’ protests and is well-known within the community. She represents Chandauli, which is dominated by upper-caste Thakurs. Naturally, a call to her surely sends a deft signal to the cadre that those who quietly wait,” remarked a BJP leader.
Sudhanshu Trivedi, the only other upper-caste leader in the mix and the lone one to be repeated for another RS term, stated that the BJP’s picks demonstrate the party’s focus on the cadre.
“This isn’t the only instance as in the past too, the BJP leadership has rewarded the cadres. That is why we proudly state that we are a party of cadres,” he added.
Sangeeta Balwant Bind, an OBC woman, said: “I am overjoyed as this is the first time anyone from my community will reach the Rajya Sabha, and surely it demonstrates how the common cadres too are constantly being monitored.”
A lot of effort was spent on ensuring that candidates with a good local reputation were considered was evident in the choice of Navin Jain, a city businessman and former Agra mayor. “I am thankful to the party,” said Jain, the lone BJP candidate from the minority community in the fray.
Tezveer Singh, an OBC and three-term Lok Sabha MP from Mathura was also not expecting the call. “Even when Mathura’s politics was getting centered around actor-politician Hema Malini, Tezveer patiently waited. In his case too it is a case of loyalists being rewarded for being with the party and working for it through thick and thin,” a BJP leader said.
“These nominations showcase the party’s commitment towards the cadre, and ahead of the 2024 LS polls, this is also great messaging,” said professor Manuka Khanna of the Political Science Department at Lucknow University. UP BJP Chief Bhupendra Chaudhary himself admitted as much.
“These RS nominations are a clear message to the cadre that the party cares for each one of them and is thinking about them,” the state BJP chief said.
Reacting after filing the nomination, Amarpal Maurya, the party’s general secretary, said, “I am simple party cadre and a nomination for me is possibly the best example of party’s cadre connect. That is why in BJP we proudly state that party is like our mother.”
