NEW DELHI: The BJP’s Satish Poonia from Rajasthan, appointed the party’s Punjab in-charge, has started prepping the strategy for Punjab Assembly elections due next year – which by most accounts, could follow the pattern used in Haryana to great success. The plan focuses on separate teams for every assembly seat, small groups for different areas, leaders with strong personal contacts and regular feedback from the ground.
The BJP’s challenge in Punjab is to come to grips with the political and social situation in every assembly constituency and this is where going small could help.
Going Small
As senior leaders hold mega rallies to set the tone, smaller teams can work at the assembly and booth levels. The aim will be to combine a big campaign with strong ground-level organisation.
Under Poonia’s strategy, an assembly constituency will be divided and each area put under a separate team, sources said. Preference can be given to leaders and workers who have strong personal contacts in a particular area.
Family relations, business connections, social contacts and local networks can also be used to reach people. The teams can be given clear responsibilities, including areas they have to cover, people they have to contact and information they have to report.
Daily feedback is a key part of the system. WhatsApp groups can be used to share updates from the ground. The feedback can then be discussed in the evening and the next day’s strategy can be decided.
The bigger challenge for Poonia will be to strengthen the BJP organisation, increase its political base, manage internal differences and convert its organisation into electoral gains.
Rajasthan’s border districts were a key part of Poonia’s Haryana strategy. Party workers from the neighbouring state were sent to areas where they already had personal contacts. They worked with local BJP workers and helped in election management.
For example, BJP workers from Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh were involved in election management in areas around Sirsa, Adampur, Balsamand and Hisar.
The main advantage was the strong social and family connection between people living on the two sides of the state border. There were also business and social links.
Rajasthan-Punjab connection
With Poonia now in charge of Punjab, a similar strategy may be used here, sources indicated. Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh share border with Punjab.
Abohar, Fazilka and nearby areas have strong family, social and business connections with the two Rajasthan districts. Owing to this network, BJP workers from Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh may get important responsibilities in Punjab, sources said.
A list of around 100 leaders and workers who were active during Poonia’s tenure as Rajasthan BJP president is being prepared. Experienced workers from the border districts may also be included.
Their role could mainly be behind the scenes – coordinating with local workers, strengthening personal contacts, helping booth management and sending regular feedback.
Poonia’s appointment is also important because there is fresh discussion about a possible alliance between the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal. Speculation has started since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ecent meeting with Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Poonia said it is too early to make any clear statement about the alliance. He said he would go first to Punjab, meet party leaders and workers and understand the ground situation. The final decision will depend on the BJP’s central leadership.
Poonia also said the BJP and Akali Dal had a good political relationship during the time of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The BJP, he added, has followed alliance politics since the Atal Bihari Vajpayee era and has taken political decisions in the larger interest of democracy.
