Dalit outreach: BJP ropes in ‘NaMo Mitras’, plans Bhim Sammelans

Having started enrolling new workers from different castes as ‘NaMo Mitras”, the Morcha is roping in a minimum of 100 such volunteers in every Assembly constituency.

The party is also preparing a database of new young workers enrolling themselves as ‘NaMo Mitras’ who are educated up to postgraduation. The ‘NaMo Mitras’ will help the party in reaching out to slum areas under the “Basti Sampark Abhiyan” that the SC Morcha has decided to launch across the state from September 20.

During the four-month campaign that will conclude in December, ‘NaMo Mitras’ will take party leaders to Dalit colonies and introduce them to local residents.

The leaders will hold interations with families about the works done by the Central and state governments led by Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath for the empowerment of the community. They will also have dinner with Dalit families with the party planning to hold such programmes in nearly 50,000 such colonies across the state, it is learnt. “We will inform people about the government’s welfare and empowerment initiatives. We will also ask to them about their expectations from the government,” BJP’s SC Morcha state president Ram Chandra Kanaujia said.

Each assembly segment has Dalit votes numbering from 35,000 to 50,000, he claimed.

The “Bhim Sammelans” will be addressed by party’s Dalit leaders, MLAs and MPs. “In these sammelans, the leaders will tell people how the BJP has honoured BR Ambedkar and other great personalities from the community such as Sant Ravidas, Vamiki as well as freedom fighters. The party will also felicitate meritorious students and sportspersons from the community,” Kanaujia said.

“No other party — be it the SP, BSP or Congress — are making such efforts to approach the Dalit voters. These Opposition parties are only creating confusion among Dalits,” he added.

The initiatives hold significance in the backdrop of the BJP’s performance in previous elections. In the Assembly elections, the party and its allies won from 63 of the 84 Assembly seats reserved for SCs. That was 11 seats less than its (and allies) performance in 2017.  The SP-led alliance won 20 seats in 2022, which was 13 seats more than 2017. The Congress did not win from any reserved seat in 2017.