Special buses, paid leave part of BJP strategy to woo Bihari migrant voters in Haryana

The BJP’s state unit has formed a multi-pronged strategy for Haryana’s migrant Bihar population, to help them return home and vote in the coming Bihar elections.

With the NDA and Mahagathbandhan locked in a tough contest in the crucial two-phase elections beginning November 6, the BJP has decided to go all out in the hope that its efforts will impress Haryana’s Bihari population and help swing the vote in Bihar. Special buses have been arranged to ferry Bihari voters home while factory owners have been requested to grant their Bihari workers paid leave.

BJP leaders told The Tribune that the party launched its strategy long back, during Bihar Diwas in March, with an eye to the Bihar elections in November. This outreach to augment ‘emotional and social bonds’ culminated with the Chhath Puja festivities with none other than CM Nayab Singh Saini participating in the festivities by standing knee deep in water.

Party sources said the BJP had contacted over one lakh voters living in Haryana, who have voting rights in Bihar. The total number of Bihari voters living in Haryana is pegged at 2.5-3 lakh.

“The BJP work on mission mode and is battle-ready for any polls. The migrant voters will vote for the NDA in a big way, paving the way for its return to power,” BJP state chief Mohan Lal Badoli claimed.

The BJP recently organised a series of meetings, including one chaired by CM Nayab Singh Saini, to chalk out a strategy for the polls. Duties were assigned to senior leaders to take care of logistical needs of the migrant voters so that they would be in Bihar on the voting day.

The BJP has been focusing on migrants working in at least 12 districts — Faridabad, Gurugram, Ambala, Hisar, Jhajjar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Panipat, Rewari, Sonepat and Yamunanagar, where the migrants work in large numbers.