For the all-conquering war machine of the BJP, no election is too small. No battle too big. From forthcoming assembly polls in Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry to elections to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the party has set sights on winning them all. One election at a time.
And so it was no surprise when the BJP assigned a leader as senior as national general secretary Bhupender Yadav to strategise on the GHMC, turning it into a big-ticket election. For the BJP바카라upbeat after winning the Dubbaka bypoll in Telangana바카라capturing the Hyderabad metropolitan agency would allow it to establish a base not just in the state but also spread its wings in Andhra Pradesh. It is the 74 lakh electorate of GHMC that the BJP is targeting with its youth wing leader Tejasvi Surya referring to Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar, marking the stirrings of polarisation in the city with a sizeable Muslim population.
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Due to its strategic location in the Deccan, Hyderabad is also the gateway to the deep south바카라a region where the party is trying to expand its footprints. Union home minister Amit Shah, who still remains the party바카라s key strategist, on a recent visit to Tamil Nadu exhorted party workers to strengthen the party base and make an impact in the coming assembly elections in 2021. The target evidently is far beyond바카라the 2026 elections.
However, the West Bengal elections are the most critical for the BJP바카라perhaps even more than what Uttar Pradesh polls have traditionally been for the party. The BJP believes it바카라s time to reap the harvest of the seeds it started sowing soon after coming to power at the Centre in 2014. Shah, then party president, began the task of strengthening the organisation in the state, making frequent visits. The party managed to win 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.
During his latest visit to the state, in the middle of the Bihar elections, Shah made it clear that West Bengal is the 바카라prime focus state바카라 for the party and it will 바카라fight and win it with a massive mandate바카라. Party national general secretary and in-charge of West Bengal Kailash Vijayvargia says that the aim is to win 200 of the 249 seats in the state. His demand is either bringing the state under President바카라s rule or the Election Commission should ensure that people cast their vote without fear. 바카라The law and order machinery has collapsed,바카라 he tells Outlook.
Further east of Bengal, in Assam, the ruling BJP, however, has been forced to change its tactics for next year바카라s assembly elections. The party seems to be on a sticky wicket in the state it won for the first time in 2016, arguably at the peak of Prime Minister Narendra Modi바카라s popularity.
It was a big victory for the BJP, making inroads into the north-east, having stitched up crucial alliances with the regional parties, including Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People바카라s Front (BPF). It also benefited from the three-term anti-incumbency against the Congress government.
The alliances were important for the BJP as it alone had a vote-share of 29.5 per cent which was less than that of Congress바카라s 31 per cent. AGP and BPF had chipped in with a vote-share of eight and four per cent, respectively. In the Lok Sabha elections, the regional parties drew a blank, while the BJP won nine of the 14 seats. This time around, the BJP is not going to find it easy.
The party is aware that issues like National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) have been milked way too much to sway voters again. And hence, the focus has shifted to 바카라Assamese pride바카라, with the BJP peddling an alleged threat to the state바카라s language and culture from the Miyas바카라Muslims whose roots lie in Bangladesh.
바카라It is about India바카라s composite culture, particularly the Assamese culture. Alien Miya culture will not be allowed to spread here. Bihar and bypoll results, which reiterate the Lok Sabha verdict, shall impact Assam and Bengal results,바카라 says BJP바카라s key person for the state, Himanta Biswa Sarma.
