BJP brews poll tea

In pollspeak, professionals are ‘opinion makers’. Your opinion matters because it influences how family and colleagues vote and the BJP will bring you drawing room ambience to get it out of you. ‘‘We are very careful,’’ says Atul Shukla, a CA heading BJP’s professional cell. It plans to hold five to 10 ‘elite gatherings’ per Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha seat contested in Mumbai — at homes and even highrise parking lots converted into temporary campaign sites.

That’s a gentle score over the Congress or even BJP’s ally Shiv Sena. ‘‘Our handicap,’’ admits Dr Vijaya Patil, member of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC). ‘‘The middle class is cut off from Congress because its priority is not professionals, but rural masses.’’

But estimating a minimum of two lakh city professionals — a voter base of 10 lakh when families are included — the city BJP has circulated a pointer within the party: ‘‘To create closeness with a large professional community and our party. This class is ignored by other political parties.’’

‘‘In elite societies, highrises, we send only presentable party workers who can answer questions on Pakistan and the economy,’’ says Shukla. The database of influentials includes secretaries of city cooperative societies. When you are aiming at raising Rs 7 crore campaign moolah for Mumbai, an elitist rapport (elites even get separate pamphlets) will ‘‘aid funding indirectly’’, party workers say.

The Sena, instead, bundles off candidates to merchants’ chambers. ‘‘We request professional associations to let candidates make a speech,’’ says Sena leader Subhash Desai.

With a new party cell for doctors, BJP state general secretary Vinod Tawde says the extra effort is worth it. ‘‘Doctors influence patients’ opinions, lawyers influence clients.’’

Financiers — Mumbai has 30,000 CAs — can expect invitations to poll campaigns labelled as seminars on stocks and taxes. In November, several hundred lawyers — not all were BJP sympathisers — were invited to a BJP Mulund meeting.

Health is new political agenda. Parties will definitely eye doctors. for instance, Dr Suhas Pingale, vice-president of the state Indian Medical Association, would be in demand.