BJP election strategy, delay in Choosing CM face
Choosing CM face delays BJP election strategy
A progressive face, the BJP hopes, would help it focus on the law and order issue in the state under the SP government and highlight the BJP-led NDA government’s achievements.
The presence of popular faces at the helm of its major rivals in Uttar Pradesh seems to be pressuring the BJP to consider announcing a chief ministerial candidate for its crucial electoral battle in the state in 2017.The dilemma on how giving a face for the party’s fight would affect the caste and community combinations and its prospects is delaying the decision on the final strategy as well as the state unit president, sources said.While the choice is between an upper caste leader as a chief ministerial candidate and a backward caste leader as the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief or vice versa, there is also a view that the party can declare a progressive leader whose image can be appealing to voters across caste lines, sources added. BJP chief Amit Shah himself has said that he is in the process of consulting party leaders from the state to arrive at a decision on the state unit chief.
A senior party leader said, “Amit Shah knows that assembly election in Uttar Pradesh is the most important and the toughest challenge before him. He does not want to make any compromise on taking the best decision. Also, he does not want to leave any room for complaints from any section of the party.” The BJP’s stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 — 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats — had been credited to Shah’s strategy and Prime Minister Modi’s popularity.Earlier, the BJP had contemplated appointing a backward caste leader as the party chief and promote another upper caste face as an emerging leader from the party. Among the frontrunners were Swatantra Singh and Dharam Pal Singh Lodh. “If the party decides to appoint an upper caste leader, (Union minister) Manoj Sinha (who belongs to Bhumihar community) could be a candidate,” a party leader said.A progressive face, the BJP hopes, would help it focus on the law and order issue in the state under the SP government and highlight the BJP-led NDA government’s achievements.But with many leaders suggesting that it would not be wise to go without a chief ministerial candidate in UP, where both the SP and BSP already have faces to lead their parties. A large section of party leaders had concluded that absence of a chief ministerial candidate had adversely affected the party’s prospects in Bihar.
A senior party leader said, “Amit Shah knows that assembly election in Uttar Pradesh is the most important and the toughest challenge before him. He does not want to make any compromise on taking the best decision. Also, he does not want to leave any room for complaints from any section of the party.” The BJP’s stunning victory in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 — 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats — had been credited to Shah’s strategy and Prime Minister Modi’s popularity.Earlier, the BJP had contemplated appointing a backward caste leader as the party chief and promote another upper caste face as an emerging leader from the party. Among the frontrunners were Swatantra Singh and Dharam Pal Singh Lodh. “If the party decides to appoint an upper caste leader, (Union minister) Manoj Sinha (who belongs to Bhumihar community) could be a candidate,” a party leader said.A progressive face, the BJP hopes, would help it focus on the law and order issue in the state under the SP government and highlight the BJP-led NDA government’s achievements.But with many leaders suggesting that it would not be wise to go without a chief ministerial candidate in UP, where both the SP and BSP already have faces to lead their parties. A large section of party leaders had concluded that absence of a chief ministerial candidate had adversely affected the party’s prospects in Bihar.
BJP should declare CM face, else they will face bihar like result again. Rajnath singh is best choice.
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