After PM’s directive, BJP plans mega minority outreach: 60 Lok Sabha seats in focus

“We have chalked out this plan to carry out the message given by Modi ji in the national executive meet. The prime minister has said we have to reach out to more people and that as long as every section is not developed, India will not be developed. He said we have to take everyone along, so we have to strengthen our outreach,” BJP Minority Morcha national president Jamal Siddiqui told The Indian Express.

“Although Modi ji said that we should not do this for votes, we are a political party and we need to win elections. So our work will be keeping both factors in mind – to ensure the government’s programmes have reached every section and also to expand the BJP’s reach to every society,” Siddiqui said.

Among the Lok Sabha seats identified, there are 13 each from Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, five from Jammu and Kashmir, four from Bihar, six each from Kerala and Assam, three from Madhya Pradesh, two each from Telangana and Haryana, and one each from Maharashtra and Lakshadweep.

The West Bengal constituencies on the BJP list include Behrampur (64 per cent minority population, Jangipur (60 per cent), Murshidabad (59 per cent), and Jaynagar (30 per cent). From Bihar, Kishanganj (67 per cent), Katihar (38 per cent), Araria (32 per cent), and Purnia (30 per cent) are on the list, while the parliamentary seats in Kerala where the BJP will focus include Wayanad (57 per cent minorities), Malappuram (69 per cent), Ponnani (64 per cent), Kozhikode (37 per cent), Vadakara (35 per cent), and Kasargod (33 per cent). The seats from Uttar Pradesh include Bijnor (38.33 per cent), Amroha (37.5 per cent), Kairana (38.53 per cent), Nagina (42 per cent), Sambhal (46 per cent), Muzaffarnagar (37 per cent), and Rampur (49.14 per cent).

The party has chosen Gurugram (38 per cent minorities) and Faridabad (30 per cent) from Haryana, while Hyderabad (41.17 per cent) and Secunderabad (41.17 per cent) are the Lok Sabha seats in Telangana in its sights.

As part of the outreach, BJP workers will connect with businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals as well as religious leaders. “There are Muslims and other minority community people who have a positive attitude towards Modij i’s messages and the government’s welfare programmes. We will reach out to them, get them together and reach out to other members of their groups. We will organise a sneh yatra – to talk about the government’s people-oriented programmes and we will have various camps to see that these programmes are reaching everyone,” Siddiqui said.

With Modi praising Sufi saints in his speech, the Minority Cell also is preparing plans to connect with the followers of Sufi Islam. “That programme will be rolled out parallelly,” he said.

In his address to the BJP’s National Executive last week, Modi asked party workers to reach out to Pasmandas, Bohras, Muslim professionals, and educated Muslims without expecting votes in return and initiate confidence-building measures.