The Aam Aadmi Party phenomenon has rattled the state party morale in such a manner that a serious re-think is going on as to how the party can keep the strength perception going.

By Ratan Mani Lal

Lucknow: Till a month ago, the atmosphere in the Uttar Pradesh state office of Bharatiya Janata Party was nothing less than euphoric: the hugely successful rallies by Narendra Modi, the definitive victory in assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, and a hung assembly in Delhi where it was the single largest party – all combined had created an aura that the party’s win in next Lok Sabha was a foregone conclusion. But the Aam Aadmi Party phenomenon has rattled the state party morale in such a manner that a serious re-think is going on as to how the party can keep the strength perception going.

At stake is not only the credibility of the state party president Laxmi Kant Bajpai, but the aura of the Gujarat strongman Amit Shah, handpicked by Modi himself to ensure a big win in the state. In the last couple of months, Amit Shah has talked less to the media but more to party functionaries from districts and other units. His agenda has been one: How to ensure party win in 40-plus seats, a target that will almost ensure Modi becomes Prime Minister.

“Our feedback suggests that people across the state are fed up of the misrule of the Samajwadi Party government and the poor governance of Bahujan Samaj Party is not forgotten yet. Modi’s strong and decisive appeal has helped people make up their minds to give BJP a chance,” says the party spokesman Vijay Pathak.

However, these enthusiastic words have not been backed by suitable ground action, as is evident by the long queues in cities where AAP is running membership drives, and the eagerness among many urban professionals to align with Arvind Kejriwal’s endeavour rather than with Modi’s promise.

Although Shah has toured almost the entire state in the past few months and held meetings with leaders, but reports of infighting, backbiting over possible ticket allotment and poor communication with state-level leaders thwarted his efforts to infuse dynamism in the party structure and approach towards the next election. In fact some party leaders had even started doubting whether Shah would be able to deliver on the promise and trust shown in him by Modi.

But the AAP factor lent an urgency to the task and Shah then turned to the committed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadre. On occasions, he is learnt to have kept even senior party leaders out of the loop of his discussions after many of them showed reluctance in touring districts assigned to them.

The long deliberations Shah has been having with former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, and also with several senior RSS leaders are learnt to be centred around two points: ensuring a stronger connectivity with the people and choosing the right candidates. Incidentally, these are two most important points of AAP strategy that paid off so well in Delhi and are giving sleepless nights to all other parties elsewhere.

The exercise assumes significance in view of the recent reports that the RSS has advised the BJP that the party should not take the AAP emergence lightly. A state BJP office-bearer concedes that the AAP’s growing popularity had indeed upset the electoral calculations of BJP as it was seeing itself as a natural beneficiary of the anti-incumbency mood against the Congress prevailing in the country.

However, RSS sources are reported to have insisted that the BJP needed to connect more people at the small town and village level, holding conventions of workers at the booth level, and then selecting the right candidates. It is learnt that these three points dominated the deliberations Shah had with RSS leaders and Kalyan Singh in Lucknow in the past few weeks.

It is learnt that Shah has finalized 40 coordinators for 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state which have been chosen as a favourable environment for the BJP is perceived there. These coordinators have been assigned the task of monitoring the campaign, coordinating between RSS and BJP workers and mobilizing other organisations to ensure a strong pro-BJP environment.

The jaded approach of the some party old timers has made Shah confide only in Kalyan Singh, an old war horse headed the first BJP government in the state and is known for his strong ground-level network. In 1996 the BJP came to power only because of its good showing in U.P. under Kalyan Singh’s leadership. However, his rebellion saw a drastic fall in the party’s fortunes in 1999, and the party has not recovered since then.

Modi has already held ralles in Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Bahraich and Varanasi, and next rallies are planned in Gorakhpur, Meerut and Lucknow. Shah too has been touring the state and plans to visit at least 52 constituencies to finalize a core group in every place. It is learnt that more than 1 lakh booth committees are proposed to be set up for all the 80 constituencies in the state. He is now scheduled to hold meetings I western U.P. beginning from Agra, followed up with Mathura, Aligarh, Moradabad, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar.

As many habitual turncoats who are known to switch political loyalty once the election season comes close have started making rounds of the BJP offices, Shah’s task becomes more difficult as all such wannabes have the recommendation of a senior party leader. It remains to be seen what advice the RSS gives to him to deal with this.