<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>BJPâs UP strategy draws on heavyweights, ties with RLD</b>
New Delhi, June 12: After setting into motion the exercise to identify candidates for the forthcoming general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party is exploring options to maximise its gains in Uttar Pradesh. As of now, the party is in the dumps in the state which sends as many as 80 members to the Lok Sabha.
One proposal said to have been discussed with partyâs prime ministerial candidate L K Advani entails dividing the state into six âclustersâ and putting political heavyweights like Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Maneka Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath in charge of each. Party general secretary Arun Jaitley, who played a key role in crafting the Karnataka win, may be asked to coordinate.
âWhen general elections are increasingly becoming an aggregate of local elections, itâs important to have a national perspective. This arrangement will also ensure micromanagment of the elections besides imparting a national perspective to the campaign,â said a source. State BJP organising secretary Nagendra met Advani recently to discuss the proposal.
The proposal defines a cluster (comprising 10 to 14 Lok Sabha seats) as having âcommon caste groups or communitiesâ. This will help in combining the Lok Sabha campaign with local and primordial concerns. Leaders identified with caste groups may be asked to focus on clusters where they wield considerable influence or where their caste constitute a majority.
The western UP cluster, with 15 seats, is dominated by the Jats. The two clusters in the east with 26 seats have Thakurs, Bhumihars and Muslims as dominant groups. The Bundelkhand cluster has Lodhis, Dalits and Kurmis, while the one around Farukahabad has Yadavs and Lodhis as dominant communities.
The RSS has divided the state into six zones â Gorakhpur, Kashi (eastern UP), Avadh, Kanpur, Braj and Pashcim (western UP), a classification that has been used by the BJP in the past as well. The party had deputed heavyweights from outside in all six zones in the last Assembly elections, but results showed that the arrangement didnât help. âWe must have heavyweights identified with the local milieu. They should be able to match caste / regional aspirations with a national perspective,â said a leader.
Another proposal is a tie-up with Ajit Singhâs Rashtriya Lok Dal which wields considerable influence in western UP. While Ajit Singh, talking to The Indian Express on Thursday, denied the possibility of any such deal, one of his deputies confirmed that talks were on and the party had identified a âlist of seatsâ.
The BJPâs Mission Delhi would come a cropper if it fails to improve its tally in UP. Party leader Kalyan Singh had recently said unless the party wins â25-30 statesâ in the state, âit can forget about its onward march to Delhiâ.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/322102.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Out of these 5 - Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Maneka Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath - Joshi, Kalraj and Maneka have no mass base, and other than their own constituency, can not win other seats. BJP should think better plans. Bring Modi to UP big time.
New Delhi, June 12: After setting into motion the exercise to identify candidates for the forthcoming general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party is exploring options to maximise its gains in Uttar Pradesh. As of now, the party is in the dumps in the state which sends as many as 80 members to the Lok Sabha.
One proposal said to have been discussed with partyâs prime ministerial candidate L K Advani entails dividing the state into six âclustersâ and putting political heavyweights like Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Maneka Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath in charge of each. Party general secretary Arun Jaitley, who played a key role in crafting the Karnataka win, may be asked to coordinate.
âWhen general elections are increasingly becoming an aggregate of local elections, itâs important to have a national perspective. This arrangement will also ensure micromanagment of the elections besides imparting a national perspective to the campaign,â said a source. State BJP organising secretary Nagendra met Advani recently to discuss the proposal.
The proposal defines a cluster (comprising 10 to 14 Lok Sabha seats) as having âcommon caste groups or communitiesâ. This will help in combining the Lok Sabha campaign with local and primordial concerns. Leaders identified with caste groups may be asked to focus on clusters where they wield considerable influence or where their caste constitute a majority.
The western UP cluster, with 15 seats, is dominated by the Jats. The two clusters in the east with 26 seats have Thakurs, Bhumihars and Muslims as dominant groups. The Bundelkhand cluster has Lodhis, Dalits and Kurmis, while the one around Farukahabad has Yadavs and Lodhis as dominant communities.
The RSS has divided the state into six zones â Gorakhpur, Kashi (eastern UP), Avadh, Kanpur, Braj and Pashcim (western UP), a classification that has been used by the BJP in the past as well. The party had deputed heavyweights from outside in all six zones in the last Assembly elections, but results showed that the arrangement didnât help. âWe must have heavyweights identified with the local milieu. They should be able to match caste / regional aspirations with a national perspective,â said a leader.
Another proposal is a tie-up with Ajit Singhâs Rashtriya Lok Dal which wields considerable influence in western UP. While Ajit Singh, talking to The Indian Express on Thursday, denied the possibility of any such deal, one of his deputies confirmed that talks were on and the party had identified a âlist of seatsâ.
The BJPâs Mission Delhi would come a cropper if it fails to improve its tally in UP. Party leader Kalyan Singh had recently said unless the party wins â25-30 statesâ in the state, âit can forget about its onward march to Delhiâ.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/322102.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Out of these 5 - Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Maneka Gandhi and Yogi Adityanath - Joshi, Kalraj and Maneka have no mass base, and other than their own constituency, can not win other seats. BJP should think better plans. Bring Modi to UP big time.