BJP could reach out to only 50K of 2 lakh govt scheme beneficiaries

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, June 3

The BJP had set a target of reaching out to around two lakh beneficiaries of government schemes across the state to seek votes for its candidates in the Lok Sabha elections but the party’s internal assessment report has, as per sources, disclosed that the workers could approach only 25 per cent of such beneficiaries.

Sources said the party leadership was mulling to relaunch the beneficiaries contact programme ahead of the Assembly polls due in October. “The party may gain political advantage in every Assembly segment if it manages to woo such beneficiaries in the coming Assembly polls,” the sources added.

The party had also developed a software for the same. Those who were assigned the task were directed to click a selfie with the beneficiary and upload it along with other details of the latter on the software that was being controlled by a team of a senior party leader from Chandigarh.

“At a meeting held by BJP state poll management committee chairman Subhash Barala with the party office-bearers on Sunday, it came to the fore that the party workers managed to contact merely 50,000 of the two lakh beneficiaries,” said a senior BJP leader.

On being asked about non-completion of the target, the workers gave multiple reasons. “Some said uploading selfies, details and opinion of beneficiaries on the software was a time-consuming process. They had hectic schedules due to election-related meetings and non-availability of many such beneficiaries were among other reasons,” he said.

The BJP leader said the task was assigned to the party office-bearer of the Assembly-level, but booth-level workers were also associated with it. Details of beneficiaries of various welfare schemes executed by the Central and state governments were made available on the software and the access was given only to the party’s incharge at the Assembly-level.

At the meeting, Barala also received feedback from the party office-bearers regarding the LS elections in their respective area. Over 150 office-bearers across the state attended the meeting at the party’s state headquarter and flagged some issues.