BJP pumps UP volume as lead ‘wavers’

The first phase over and exit poll projections not putting it comfortably ahead, the BJP leadership today decided to roll out the heavy arti...

The first phase over and exit poll projections not putting it comfortably ahead, the BJP leadership today decided to roll out the heavy artilley for Uttar Pradesh. At a party strategy meeting chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and attended by the top brass, including Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, BJP president Venkaiah Naidu, UP in-charge Pramod Mahajan and Law Minister Arun Jaitley, it was decided that Mahajan camp in the state from April 26 right up to the last day of elections, May 10.

The BJP’s gameplan is to aim for at least 35 seats so that it can avoid the need for any post-poll alliance either with the Samajwadi Party or the BSP.

Health Minister Sushma Swaraj, who completes her election meetings outside UP by April 26, has also been asked to beef up the party’s UP campaign. In fact, post-April 26, the party plan is to concentrate on Punjab and Delhi apart from UP with Jaitley being pressed into action in Punjab.

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Party sources indicated that Vajpayee and Advani, who is free from Gandhinagar, will be seeking votes through rigorous campaign. The RSS has also been asked to galvanise their cadre.

In a bid to ensure that Muslims do not resort to ‘‘strategic voting’’ to defeat BJP candidates, particularly in UP, Vajpayee today said that the country could not progress without Muslims. Party President Naidu was more forthright when he appealed to the minority community to give BJP ‘‘one chance.’’

The BJP’s focus on UP is understandable as the party is fighting on 77 of the 80 seats—32 go to polls on April 23, 30 on May 5 and remaining 18 on May 10. While the BJP faces a serious contest from the SP-RLD alliance and the BSP in western UP in the last phase, its immediate worry is to iron out intra-party differences.

Party nominees in at least a dozen constituencies are faced with disaffection within their ranks. The problem is rampant in Kanpur, Varanasi, Pratapgarh, Banda, Saidpur, Rampur and Agra. The BJP has already expelled three MLAs, Mayankeshwar Singh, Badshah Singh and Narendra Verma, for allegedly working against the party.

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Although both the PM and DPM are said to be largely ‘‘satisfied’’ with the party’s performance in the first phase, the BJP knows that its performance in UP will be critical for the NDA to reach the magical figure of 271. Party sources said that the high-level meeting was preceeded by a close door session at Venkaiah Naidu’s house. According to the party assessment, the BJP will increase its tally by 10 more seats in the first phase notwithstanding exit polls. This increase will be reflected in Karnataka, Assam and Gujarat. The party expects a minor drop (one to two seats) in its tally in Maharashtra and the Telengana region.