New Delhi: A carefully-crafted strategy combining a number of issues was largely responsible for the BJP’s stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, crushing the fragmented Opposition to secure biggest mandate the party had ever received in the state.
The party was the first to realise the importance of having a strong cadre at the grassroots level that would help ensure that party's support base converted into votes during elections. Thus the BJP, which was strongly backed by the RSS, had started working on its booth management months before political rivals had even thought about it.
Senior BJP and RSS leaders had chalked out an elaborate plan to ensure that its cadre machinery was fully operational in the run up to the polls to not only ensure that the key policies of the Modi government were aggressively publicised but to ensure that this also got converted into votes. And the massive numbers for BJP proves that this worked.
Mobilisation by the cadre on the ground ensured that any negative impact of big ticket policies like demonetisation was not fully neutralised but it helped work in favour of the BJP as the party cadre was successfully able to drive home the point that the policy was actually “pro-poor”.
It is believed the party’s election machinery at the grassroots level could also convince women Muslim voters on the Centre’s stand against triple talaq as it is believed that a section of women voters from the minority community could well have gone to the BJP.
BJP leaders admit that the strategy was similar to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when party won 73 of the 80 seats in UP. Changing the narrative during the course of elections from development to emotive issues like “kabristan and shamshaan” and power supply during “Ramzaan and Diwali” are also believed to have led to a reverse polarisation for the BJP.
