The BJP is looking for suitable candidates from rival camps to consolidate its position in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
According to a senior state BJP leader, the party is in touch with former MPs and MLAs, mostly from backward classes from rival parties, who could be given tickets in the elections. However, “winnability” will be the main factor while giving tickets. “There is no harm in taking candidates from other parties provided they fulfil the basic parameters—jitau (winnable), tikau (durable) and vaicharik pratibadhata (ideological commitment). Nobody is untouchable in politics. After all, the ideal candidate will be from a particular constituency. If our workers feel that a particular leader is active in their area and has a good image, we will definitely consider giving tickets to him. Our ultimate aim is to form government in UP,” he said.
“The party has been out of power for the past 15 years. So there is a dearth of candidates at the local level. In the 2012 Assembly elections, the party had fielded 398 candidates and 229 of them forfeited their deposits. Only 47 candidates won. The party polled just 15% votes. Thus, we need to poach good candidates from outside,” he said. The leader, however, said the party performed very well in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and won 71 out of the 78 seats it contested. “However, that was due to the Modi wave, which was sweeping across the state. In the Assembly elections, despite goodwill for the party among the people, we need local faces, especially in constituencies where we are weak,” he added. The party leaders are satisfied with the response of the ongoing Parivartan Yatra. The yatra will culminate with a grand rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rama Bai Maidan, Lucknow, on 2 January, for which there will be massive mobilisation from all parts of the state.
“When the yatra began, there was surgical strike 1 (on Pakistan). But during the course of the yatra, there was surgical strike 2 (demonetisation). All this has created a positive atmosphere which is evident from the response during the yatra. People have supported demonetisation and there has been no negative feedback about it during the yatra,” the BJP leader said.