The blueprint is ready and execution has begun with the induction of new faces some two weeks ago. The response of the people to its membership drive, launched last month, has given Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Uttar Pradesh reason to cheer. In less than two months, the party claims to have signed 6.7 million members, a spurt from the past three years' average of 1.6 million.
Ahead of the ongoing membership drive, a campaign was launched in as many as 304 of the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state to bring dalits, other backward classes (OBCs), women and youth into the party.
Political commentators and BJP leaders of the state indicate increasing its base among dalits and large sections of OBCs is what the party is banking on to sail through in the Assembly elections slated for 2017. It is, therefore, not surprising that of the 20 office-bearers appointed in the state unit earlier this month, as many as 12 belong to these two communities. "The BJP is set to continue with its efforts to bring dalits into the Hindutva mainstream," says Sudhir Panwar of Lucknow University.
The BJP's courtship of dalits in Uttar Pradesh began right after communal clashes in the state. Reports suggest many of the recent communal disturbances in the state involved direct confrontation between dalits and Muslims. In Moradabad's Kaanth, for instance, tension escalated after the state administration removed a loudspeaker from the Ravidas temple following protests by local Muslims. And BJP leaders were the first ones to protest against the local government's move. Ravidas temples hold special significance for dalits in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra.
Dalits were in the line of fire at Badaun, Saharanpur and Meerut. At all places, the BJP intervened on behalf of dalits, according to reports. Now, there is talk in BJP, muted at the moment, of awarding the Bharat Ratna to prominent dalit leader Kanshi Ram.
In addition to its 'Woo dalits' theme, the BJP is likely to stick with its aggressive Hindutva agenda in the run-up to elections, say political observers. In a state ravaged by multiple communal riots in the past few years, talk of 'love jihad', ghar wapsi and putting up statues of Mahatma Gandhi's assassin, Nathuram Godse, is likely to polarise society further, they say. "The BJP and other constituents of the Sangh Parivar will continue to harp on these themes to consolidate Hindus in the run-up to the elections. And, do not forget that by awarding the Bharat Ratna to Hindu nationalist leader and founder of the Hindu Mahasabha, Madan Mohan Malviya, the BJP wants to send out a signal," says a Noida-based political observer who keeps interacting with senior BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh. He did not wish to be named.
Incidentally, the Hindu Mahasabha, along with the Arya Samaj, had launched the Shuddhi movement in 1923. The movement was similar to ghar wapsi, the reconversion campaign that is under way now. "I foresee the BJP keeping its low-intensity polarisation strategy alive in Uttar Pradesh. Low intensity because I do not see major communal flare-ups in the near future," says Panwar.
BJP leaders, however, dismiss all such arguments and say development alone will be the party's poll plank in the next round of Assembly elections. "You may choose to say whatever you like, but development for all is what we want people to associate us with," says Ashok Kataria, vice-president of the state unit. Kataria is one of the many young faces who have been given key responsibilities. "Very much like the national unit, the state BJP is undergoing a generational shift, with power shifting to young leaders," says the Noida-based political observer.
For the time being, though, the unit is focused on membership drive. According to reports, a team, comprising 200,000, has been put in place to push the drive. Party leaders expect to reach out to all of the 35 million voters who had voted for the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections. There is a team for each of the state's 142,000 election booths. Each team has been given a specific role with a clear message that those who do not take their work seriously will not be eligible for a future role in the party organisation.
"There is new energy in the party after state General Secretary (Organisation) Sunil Bansal took charge of the membership drive. Being a true believer in teamwork, he knows how to bring out the best from his team. The unprecedented response to the membership drive is a result of that," says Kataria.
Political commentators, however, say response to a membership drive in itself does not mean much. "Everybody wants to be associated with a party that has done well and is expected to do well. The major challenge for the BJP in the 2017 assembly elections will be to tackle the anti-incumbency factor that might set in by then. The BJP reaped the benefits of the politics of aspiration, among others, in Uttar Pradesh. If the BJP government at the Centre is not seen to be delivering on promises, there is going to be disillusionment among voters," says Panwar.
