BJP gets down to campaigning again

CHANDIGARH: Even as other political parties are yet to get their act together after their miserable performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP has set the ball rolling for the election campaign for the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections in a bid to retain power.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Hisar on Wednesday. Manoj Dhaka

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 5

Even as other political parties are yet to get their act together after their miserable performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the ruling BJP has set the ball rolling for the election campaign for the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections in a bid to retain power.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today visited Hisar and Panchkula as part of his thanksgiving visits across the state for BJP’s stupendous performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP, meanwhile, has announced district-wise meetings to gear up the party cadre for the Assembly elections. “These meetings, which would kick off from Nuh on June 6 and conclude at Panipat on June 20, would mobilise party workers for the Assembly elections,” said Subhhash Barala, BJP president. Addressing BJP workers at Hisar, Khattar exuded confidence that the party would retain power in Haryana by bagging two-thirds seats in the 90-member state Assembly.

Source said the party was keen on replicating the successful model of micro-management in the Assembly poll campaign through the “panna pramukh” (voter list page in charge). In the Lok Sabha poll, the “panna pramukhs” were instrumental in micro-management of the election campaign at the booth level with the result that the BJP won all 10 seats in the state.

Even before the Lok Sabha election results were declared on May 23, the BJP had already held a meeting of its top brass on May 20 to review the political situation in the state. As part of the strategy to prepare for the Assembly elections, the BJP is taking recourse to populism and has started rolling out projects.

In yesterday’s meeting of the Haryana Cabinet, incentives were announced for candidates in Class B, C and D posts.

Strategy in place

District-level organisational meetings to start from Nuh on June 6; to conclude at Panipat on June 20.
BJP pins hopes on “panna pramukhs” to micro-manage election campaign.
Bureaucrats asked to identify major projects for completion before the Assembly poll.

CM predicts massive win

The BJP is all set to get two-thirds majority in the Assembly elections after the historical victory on all 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister