BJP’s three-pronged strategy in Uttar Pradesh a risky proposition

Sullen faces against a dark backdrop, accompanied by grim slogans on poor law and order situation; these are the general themes of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s publicity blitzkrieg through TV, newspapers and roadside hoardings against Akhilesh Yadav’s Government in Uttar Pradesh. A presentation of some of these was made before BJP General Secretary Arun Singh a few days ago. Fifty-one year old Singh hails from UP and is part of BJP’s strategy team for defeating the Samajwadi Party-Congress combine in the assembly polls.

BJP sources say that Singh, a trusted RSS hand, has settled on a three-pronged campaign strategy which divides UP in three parts for focused electioneering, with the approval of party higher-ups. In Western UP, the party would try to harness the still simmering communal divide since the Muzaffarnagar communal conflagration in 2013. In Central UP, BJP is trying to romp home in a major chunk of assembly constituencies by playing the development card. And in Eastern UP, the BJP hopes Ram Mandir mixed with local issues will help catch the voters’ imagination.

Yet, pushing the last of these is proving to be a slippery slope for the ‘party with a difference’, mainly because of BJP MP Yogi Adityanath’s near absolute sway over his Gorakhpur bastion and its neighbouring districts. The idea to revive the Mandir plank in eastern UP is mainly to keep the Yogi in good humour. Yet, the party fears that in case the Mandir conversation gets magnified and spills over outside the east to cover the entire state, it may take the focus completely away from its development message. Besides, law and order could go from bad to worse, as turned out to be the case through the late eighties and early nineties. This has put the party in a bind, point out sources.

The mandir plank may also be a case of too little, too late, as the Hindu Yuva Vahini—which was founded by Adityanath—has now begun fielding its own candidates in several seats in eastern UP, alleging that the BJP has insulted its founder. It’s no secret that Adityanath wanted to be declared the BJP’s chief ministerial face in the state; however, he has not even been able to get tickets for most of his preferred candidates.