As Nadda blows poll bugle, key takeaway: no space in BJP for ‘family parties’, mediators

The remarks, during a public rally in Haryana’s Kaithal, is being seen as an apparent signal to BJP’s allies that the party is gearing up to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well as Vidhan Sabha polls in Haryana the same year on its own. The remarks also assume significance for Haryana where BJP is in an alliance with the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janta Party, a breakaway faction of the Indian National Lok Dal led by his grandfather Om Prakash Chautala.

The BJP has already rolled out its plans to reach each and every household of the state and announced a schedule of 4000 worker-level meetings across 90 Assembly constituencies.

BJP has given a target to the party workers to bring in at least one-third of nearly 2.86 crore population of Haryana to the party’s fold before 2024 polls.

On August 30, as part of preparations for the polls, BJP Haryana chief Om Prakash Dhankar chaired a meeting of party workers of five districts including Gurgaon, Faridabad, Palwal, Jhajjar and Nuh.

“The numerous public welfare schemes that Manohar Lal Khattar-led government has initiated in the state in the last eight years should reach each and every beneficiary. At least all such beneficiaries should be included in the party, to begin with”, Dhankra told party workers.

He said soon Panna Pramukhs will be appointed at polling booth level. “The party has identified 4000 strength-points across Haryana. At all such points, BJP is holding meetings from September 1 till September 8 in which all ground level leaders are being included. At least 25 participants attend each such meeting where party workers and leaders are jointly formulate strategies for upcoming panchayat polls and how to further strengthen the party for the 2024 polls,” he added.

Targeting the rural electorate of Haryana — over 65 per cent of the state’s population lives in rural areas — the BJP is aiming to get maximum party workers elected as village Sarpanches.

On Saturday, Nadda, who was in state on a two day tour, left it for the party’s state unit to take a call on whether to contest the panchayat polls on the party symbol.

“The party’s election committee will take a decision on this once the poll dates are announced. The BJP national president has said that the state unit should take a call on this,” Dhankar said.

Dhankar said that when the dates of panchayat polls are announced, it will be decided at that time whether the BJP will fight these on symbol and added “if we go for symbol, then the issue of alliance with the JJP (for these polls) will come up otherwise it will remain open for all”.

He, however, skirted a direct reply when asked if the BJP and the JJP will jointly contest the next Assembly polls.

The principal opposition party Congress had last month said that it will not contest the upcoming panchayat polls on its symbol. The party, however, is struggling to create its organizational structure in Haryana. State Congress chief Udai Bhan and CLP leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda had organised a Chintan Shivir at Panchkula on August 1 with the motive to discuss strategy to reach out to people over several issues such as inflation, unemployment, law and order. It, however, ended up as a show of strength for Hooda with his detractors either absent or not invited to the event.

After the Shivir concluded, Bhan and Hooda said the party would create a cadre-base at the ground-level before August 20. However, there was no such movement on ground as the Congress continues to battle infighting at the national level with several top leaders distancing itself from the party’s programmes. Former HPCC chief Kumari Selja recently shot a letter to party affairs incharge Vivek Bansal seeking stern action against Hooda for meeting Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi, days after latter quit party blaming top leadership.

“When the party is already battling its leadership crisis in New Delhi, who has got time to think about the state. BJP has already launched a massive campaign focussing on 2024 polls. Even a small party like JJP is going all out expanding its cadre. And, here are we eagerly awaiting the party to resolve its top leadership crisis,” a senior Haryana Congress leader said.