The party also felt that Kesri's appointment will divide the Muslim votes between the United Front and the Bahujan Samaj Party- Congress alliance.
Although the party maintained publicly that the appointment would have no impact on Uttar Pradesh elections, it prepared a strategy to wean away the forward caste votes from the Congress by painting the Congress-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance as a Dalit-backward caste combination where the forward castes would not get a position of respect.
As part of the new strategy, the Sangh Parivar would run a whisper campaign throughout the state during the last few days of polling. This would ensure a forward caste consolidation in favour of the BJP, perceived as a forward caste-dominated party, a senior BJP leader claimed.
Publicly, the BJP will continue to launch its attack against P V Narasimha Rao by painting Kesri as a nominee and a puppet