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BJP begins outreach in Bihar
Bharatiya Janata Party began an outreach programme in Bihar on Saturday, which requires senior leaders to visit at least three districts in the state each to interact with the cadre as well as the electorate as part of the party’s preparations for the 2024 general elections.
Bharatiya Janata Party began an outreach programme in Bihar on Saturday, which requires senior leaders to visit at least three districts in the state each to interact with the cadre as well as the electorate as part of the party’s preparations for the 2024 general elections.
After the premature end of its coalition government with the Janata Dal (United) earlier this month, the BJP has been trying to recalibrate its organisational network in the state.
As part of the outreach, members of the party’s core group on Bihar will visit all 40 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, meet district and local unit office bearers and gather information about the challenges that the party faces on the ground. “The exercise will culminate on September 1, all the members who have been asked to travel will have to submit a report at the end of the tour,” said Sanjay Jaiswal, president of the state unit.
To ensure transparency in reporting issues to the senior leadership, the exercise allows state and district functionaries to put forth their views at meetings that will not be attended by sitting lawmakers.
“This is a unique exercise where the MLA and MP will not be required to be present in all the meetings that are scheduled so that we get an unfiltered and unbiased report from the ground,” Jaiswal said.
On August 16, BJP president JP Nadda chaired a meeting of the core group in the capital when it was decided that the party will carry out a rejig in the state unit, and carry out an outreach programme to connect with voters across caste and communities to prepare for the 2024 elections and the state assembly elections that will follow.
The party has also set a target of winning more than 35 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state. In the last general election, the BJP had won 17 seats, while its former ally, the JD(U), won 16. In the 2020 assembly election, the BJP won 74 of the 125 seats, while the JD(U) won 43.
The exercise is also being carried out with a view to address concerns that the senior leadership in Delhi was not kept in the loop about issues that have an impact on electoral outcome, a second functionary said.
“During the last election there were some concerns and disagreement over the choice of candidates in certain areas, because it (their selection) did not sit well with the caste composition in those particular constituencies, or the candidates were not able to draw support,” the functionary said, seeking anonymity. “This time, we are largely on our own (without major allies), so we are hoping that the process of ticket distribution and campaigning will be carried out after getting in feedback from the ground.”
A list of constituencies has been drawn up for the visits by the senior leadership. For instance, minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was in Bhagalpur on Saturday, while Jaiswal was in Raxaul. Former minister Shahnawaz Hussain will be visiting Madhubani and Jhanjharpur.
