2014 General Elections
V Shanmuganathan
Elections belong to the people. It is their decision. The will to win is meaningless without the will to prepare. Confidence level will increase when people are well prepared.
Bhartiya Janata Party held a meeting in New Delhi on August 18, 2013 for the Central and State leaders, including members of the National Election Campaign Committee. Shri Narendra Modi gave a broad outline of the planning by the campaign committee. There should be an all out effort to take all sections of society with the party in the next 200 days. Everyone should implement the poll plans effectively and at the earliest.
Anti-Congress mood is growing every day. How to bring it in favour of BJP. It cannot be done through the media. It can be done only by karyakartas of sangathan. They must be properly guided, activated and motivated by the senior party leaders at every place.
In 2014 there will be more than 77 crore voters. There are 75 crore mobile users in our country. Internet population is 15 crore. Facebook user base in India is around 8 crore. Half the facebook users are 18-24 years. Nearly 50 per cent of the voters are less than 40 years of age.
Getting voters registered especially the young voters has to be the top priority of the BJP workers across the country, right until the elections in every State every district, every ward, every village, every booth. This can be a major factor in ensuring a favourable outcome for the BJP. Greater attention is to be given where winnability is more. In the past general Lok Sabha elections, BJP has won 299 seats at least once. BJP’s highest vote share was 25.6 per cent in 1998. BJP had won 182 seats in both 1998 and 1999 elections. BJP got 8 crore votes in 2009 and came 1st or 2nd in 227 seats in 2009. BJP lost 56 seats with a margin of 50,000 votes.
Because of the economic mismanagement of UPA there are no investments, no new jobs, stagnation, inflations, rising prices, falling rupee value, job loss.
People are fed up with the economic management of the trio Dr Manmohan Singh, Montek Singh and P Chidambaram. People are searching for the right alternative. BJP leaders and cadres are determined to fulfil the aspirations of the common man.
Shri Narendra Modi said there is a need to strengthen the support base further. He said “We have to bring neutral personalities to our side. We have to build up contact with the university students and their leaders. We have to conduct new voters conclave in college campus and student hostels. Those MLA’s, MP’s who are not active in their party, can be contacted. Even Ex. Chief Ministers, Ex. Governors also will come, if we approach them with care and concern. We have to make specific inroads into tribal, dalit pockets. We have to reach out to Muslim voters. Like every section of society, Muslims too would look at who would give them space and opportunity. Our Ex BJP activists are to be contacted with love and affection make them active.”
Shri Modi emphasised on how it is important to bring the voter to the polling booth and said the party karyakartas should meet this challenge.
Shri L K Advani emphasised the effectiveness of the time tested formula of the door to door campaign . Smt. Sushma Swaraj pointed out that each booth has approximately 1,000 voters, which means roughly 200 families. Every BJP booth committee should have 10 youthful karyakartas. Each one of them should adopt at least 20 such families and reach out to them in seven rounds. They should first start with introducing themselves to the families. They should express their readiness to serve them and help them for any of their needs. Then they should give them the details of their phone numbers and address. Then all eligible members of those families can be enrolled as voters. They would to distribute election propaganda publications and booth slips. They must keep good, cordial relationship with every family. Become a part of their family so much that they commit themselves to voting for the BJP, she emphasised.
There is a need of imagination, integrity, courage and a spark of conviction. United leadership and karyakartas with dedication will once again inspire the country. BJP can reach the ambitious target of getting majority in the Lok Sabha with 272 plus numbers of seats. Thus BJP plans to reach out to new, young voters and broaden the support base to get a full majority in Lok Sabha polls. The party will start the candidate selection process from next month.
