BJP leader Shrikant Bharatiya, the party’s poll in-charge in Maharashtra, has a daunting task. Known for his background management work, he had played an important role in the 2014 and 2019 elections. Whether it is core committee meeting or drawing up strategy, Bharatiya is a key player in the western state. In an interview with Shubhangi Khapre, he discusses the party’s plans and prospects in the 2024 polls. Q. What is the BJP’s strategy for 2024 Lok Sabha and Assembly polls? Bharatiya: We are working on a multipronged strategy keeping organisational expansion in mind. Apart from organisational structure, we give a lot of importance to election management complete with war rooms, training, and social media campaigns. Along with this, the process of social engineering constituency wise, candidate selection and campaigns are being planned. Q. Compared to 2014 and 2019, what are the challenges in 2024? Bharatiya: We have set more ambitious targets of winning 45-plus seats (out of 48) in the Lok Sabha and 200-plus seats (out of 288) in the Assembly polls. We are pretty confident of enhancing our electoral performance in 2024. For the past one year, we have already started working on 96 assembly seats which the BJP never won, and 16 Lok Sabha seats that fall in the difficult category. Q. Will Moditva work? Questions have been raised on Modi’s popularity? Bharatiya: The people’s trust in Modi leadership has increased over these nine years. We have records to substantiate our claims. The BJP will break its own record of 2019 in the 2024 polls. Q. In Maharashtra, you are on a sticky wicket with the Congress, the NCP and the Shiv Sena (UBT) putting up a united front. Bharatiya: If the MVA was strong, why would the BJP emerge as the number one party in all elections held since 2019. The BJP bagged the maximum gram panchayats. In the APMC polls, which were never our forte, we beat the Congress-NCP and emerged number one. The MVA is trying to build a narrative of a united front. But people are not blind. They are seeing the cracks in their vajramuth (iron fist). When top leaders are not willing to accept each other’s leadership, how will the alliance be effective at the grass roots? The inbuilt ideological differences are a major hurdle. The MVA’s unity is a myth. It is an illusion. Q. What about the unity of the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction)? There are sharp differences within? Bharatiya: CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis are working as a team. There is perfect understanding and a common goal. Some differences at local levels can be tackled because our top leaders are strong and united. Secondly, the BJP and the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) workers share a common ideology. So, there are fewer challenges. Q. What about BJP’s polarization politics of love jihad and land jihad? Bharatiya: The BJP does not require polarization politics to win elections. Under the strong leadership of Modi at the Centre and Fadnavis in Maharashtra, the BJP is 101 per cent sure of winning elections. These (love jihad, land jihad) are social issues. They are driven by people collectively. These are spontaneous responses to a social problem. The BJP is neither driving nor promoting these protest rallies. It is but natural for MLAs, MPs or ministers to show solidarity with people. What is wrong with it? Q. How do you explain the spurt in communal clashes in Maharashtra? Bharatiya: It is a matter of serious concern and investigation. NCP leader Jitendra Awad makes a statement at Mumbra warning of riots. Next, we see Congress leader Satej Patil talking about riots. Then NCP president Sharad Pawar tweets. All this cannot be a coincidence. These are disturbing trends. There is adequate scope to ascertain how the Opposition is trying to create disturbances in the state to destabilize the Shinde-Fadnavis government. The investigation will unearth facts. But the Opposition’s role and intentions are questionable. Q. What about Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s role? Has he not failed? Bharatiya: Devendra Fadnavis has always been the main target of Opposition parties. They fear his ability and competence. When Fadnavis was the CM (2014 to 2019), people saw his administrative ability and development works that changed the face of Maharashtra. Within 11 months, Fadnavis (along with CM Eknath Shinde) has put Maharashtra on the fast track of development. The Opposition is worried about good governance and popularity of Fadnavis. Q. But should a home minister get aggressive and use expressions like ‘Aurangzeb ki aulad’? Bharatiya: What is the hue and cry about his remark? All he said was Maharashtra is the land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The glorification of Aurangzeb will not be tolerated. And those (mischief makers) who are trying to use Aurangzeb’s photos to create communal disharmony will be firmly dealt with. Any leader who is patriotic would have admonished the public display of Aurangzeb’s photos. Q. What will be the BJP’s plank in the 2024 polls? Bharatiya: We will place before the people the good governance of Modi at the Centre and that of Shinde-Fadnavis in Maharashtra. Our campaign will be Modi’s nine years of rule versus the Congress’s 65-year reign. In Maharashtra, we are focusing on Shinde-Fadnavis’s good governance versus the MVA’s failure. Here we have Shinde-Fadnavis who are working round the clock. They are on the field 24×7. Whereas, Uddhav Thackeray did not step out of his home. We will highlight our commitment to transform Maharashtra versus the MVA’s power politics to promote vested interests.
