BJP sets ‘360-plus’ target for 2019 Lok Sabha polls

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 17

On a day the Opposition held a “show of strength”, the BJP set the ball rolling for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, fixing an individual target of “at least 360 plus” seats and winning those constituencies (around 120 or so) where it had never won or had come second.

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BJP chief Amit Shah’s strategy meeting was attended by top ministers and senior leaders of the organisation and revolved around ascertaining whether the Narendra Modi government's “pro-people and pro-poor schemes” had impacted grassroots. And also whether “issues” of party cadres, especially in the BJP-ruled states, were being addressed.

Union ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, JP Nadda, Ananth Kumar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Dharmendra Pradhan, Piyush Goyal, Narendra Tomar, Manoj Sinha and general secretaries and joint secretaries of the organisation participated in Shah's brainstorming session.

Notably, the BJP’s “below expected” performance in Madhya Pradesh local body elections is an indicative of chinks in the organisation set-up and the need to pump-up its “sangathan garhe chalo” abhiyan in the run-up. The BJP has also not done “as well as expected” in the West Bengal civic body polls.

Though Shah’s three-day visit to Madhya Pradesh beginning tomorrow is a part of his ongoing 110-day nationwide tour of states, the fact that at some places in the state the BJP defeated the Congress by a very narrow margin may be a big perusal point.

At the cost of allies?

Amit Shah’s ambitious aim to increase the BJP tally in 2019 may be an ominous signal for allies, including Akali Dal, many of who are currently facing an existential crisis courtesy his aggressive social and political expansion plan.

In 2014, the BJP contested around 428 constituencies, winning in 282 —a strike rate of around 66 per cent. In order to get 360 plus, it may not be as generous towards allies as it was in 2014. Therefore, if not complete separation, allies may have to be content with lesser number of seats.

In Punjab, where the BJP currently has two seats of the 13, a section of the saffron leadership has for long been clamouring for a separation from Akali Dal, professing “good scope” for the party on “at least six to seven".

Apparently, the leadership is also looking for "good candidates", including on seats currently held by the BJP. Some sitting MPs may be shown the door on the basis of their performance, or rather lack of it, in their constituencies and the Parliament, sources say.

While the saffron dominance has been further augmented with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) switching sides (which in turn has also increased the redundancy of existing NDA ally in Bihar — Ram Vilas Paswan-led LJP), there are areas in the country where the BJP will still need help. This is precisely the reason why down-South the leadership is working hard at getting together two warring factions of the AIADMK.