BJP seeks Hindu vote consolidation; PM cautions over division attempts

New Delhi: Ahead of the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and cadres have been told to seek consolidation of the Hindu vote bank and help thwart any attempts by the opposition to divide the saffron unit’s core voter base due to regionalism, caste and language cards.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions to the top leadership and party cadres came at the National Executive meeting of the BJP being held in Delhi, sources said. The meeting is crucial as it comes weeks ahead of crucial Assembly polls in several states and is also expected to finalise the party's strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

At the meeting with the top leadership of the saffron unit, PM Modi asked the party units across the country to follow the example of the recently concluded Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi and organise such events across the country, sources said. The PM emphasised that such events would create long-term goodwill for the BJP by creating a direct dialogue between voters of two varying regions, communities and speaking different languages.

BJP seeks Hindu vote consolidation

It was pointed out that many political parties are likely to indulge in rhetoric and policies that could foment trouble in various parts of the country by raising issues related to the region, caste and language in an effort to erode the voter base of the BJP. The party is concerned that if the opposition is able to create a division among the Hindu vote base it will be very difficult for the saffron unit to retain its tally of 303 seats that it had secured in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.  

Therefore, it was stressed that the BJP leaders needed to be extra cautious that attempts by the opposition do not lead to any division of votes in the name of chauvinism being practised by these divisive parties, sources added.  

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to seek his third term in the 2024 general elections, there is a sense of urgency at the national executive meeting. The party’s top leadership wants to defeat any attempts by the opposition to create chinks in the BJP’s vote base. Hence, the need to keep the Hindu vote base of the BJP consolidated across the country, sources said.

The saffron party, which is confident of retaining its core voters in the forthcoming assembly and Lok Sabha polls next year, is still treading cautiously after seeing a reversal of fortunes in states like Himachal Pradesh. Despite Himachal being dominated by upper caste Hindus, considered to be staunch backers of the BJP, the saffron party lost grip over the state. The top leadership has noted that it lost the Himalayan state due to its rebel leaders and has asked state units to ensure such issues are resolved in the party itself.  

The Prime Minister also asked state units to ensure that they take the message before the people regarding the various public welfare measures being implemented by the Central government.

“The state units and leaders were also asked to ensure that the local population is made aware of Central schemes which were not being implemented in their respective states. This could be brought out with an emphasis on how the local population was being denied the benefits of these schemes by the respective state governments,” sources added.  

Emphasis was also placed on creating awareness regarding the Central government’s push for infrastructure and the overall development of the nation.

PM Modi is later today expected to outline the political roadmap for the BJP ahead of assembly polls this year and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.  Assembly polls are scheduled to be held in Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Karnataka soon. Later this year Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana are also slated for legislative assembly polls.

Interacting with representatives of these states, PM Modi and BJP chief JP Nadda, expressed confidence in the party's victory prospects in the forthcoming polls.