Special attention is likely to be paid to the southern states from where the maximum number of party supporters are planned to be taken for Ram Lala’s darshan.
In the run-up to Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has prepared a roadmap for “Mission Ayodhya”, with focus on taking at least one voter from every election booth in the country to offer prayers at the Ram Temple in the holy city. This will be supplemented by a proposal to take 5,000 residents from each parliamentary constituency on the Ayodhya pilgrimage.
Special attention is likely to be paid to the southern states from where the maximum number of party supporters are planned to be taken for Ram Lala’s darshan.
“The initial plan is to try and get as many as 5,000 residents from each Lok Sabha constituency to visit the Ram Temple so that they can return and spread the word about achievements in the holy city,” said a party leader.
Party workers will be assigned tasks related to these residents’ journey and darshan in Ayodhya. Special bus services from neighbouring states may also be arranged to bring as many Hindu devotees to the holy city as possible.
Already, BJP workers on the ground have started distributing “Akshat” or holy rice grains to each household with a special request to residents to celebrate 22 January as Diwali.
A booklet detailing the role of RSS and the BJP in the Ram Temple agitation is proposed to be distributed in all constituencies, said a party leader.
Apart from the focus on connecting the electorate with the Ram Temple, the BJP has also asked its various morchas to step up their enrolment drives. “Kamal Sakhis” or women supporters of lotus or BJP’s election symbol have been identified as key players in scoring a hat-trick of victories for the party in parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have asked workers on the ground to increase enrolment of women voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha contest. The BJP aims to touch a vote share of 51% in Lok Sabha elections, as against 38% in 2019 (while NDA’s share was 45%), and bagging 400 seats, as compared to 303 in 2019.
The party has also started working on a new slogan, “Ab ki baar 400 paar, tisri baar Modi sarkar” (Third term for Modi government with over 400 seats).
Meanwhile, the party has given targets to the Mahila Morcha to enrol new party workers and work closely with prabharis and conveners in each Lok Sabha constituency. “About 20 meetings of the women’s wing, along with other party morchas, are likely to be organised in each of the parliamentary constituencies before the election,” said a party leader.
Interestingly, social media influencers are also planned to be roped in to maintain a connection with women voters, especially the young and the tech-savvy.
NGOs and self-help groups that have availed Centrally-sponsored schemes for women and children are going to be taken along in the BJP’s drive to add more strength to the base of the supporters’ pyramid, said a party worker.
Apart from reaching out to women voters, the party cadre in states are being encouraged to enrol new members in villages and contact beneficiaries of centrally-funded welfare schemes, including free ration, tapped water supply, free shelter and subsidised cooking gas.
The Yuva Morcha and Minority Morcha have also been directed to contact rural voters and organise joint meetings this month, said a party leader.
The BJP wants to ensure that there is full saturation of Central government-funded schemes in villages and for this purpose the party is taking out the “Viksit Bharat Yatra” during which those left out of the social security net will be encouraged to enrol for the on-going schemes and those already availing the schemes would be asked to give their feedback.
According to BJP insiders, the feedback of people is being used to judge the performance of each MP. While the exercise is still inconclusive, the BJP is very close to coming to the conclusion of a flop show by nearly 125 MPs, who may even face the axe at the time of ticket distribution.
Also a number of ministers in the Modi Cabinet who have served in the Rajya Sabha may be asked to contest the Lok Sabha elections.