NEW DELHI: Move over positive vibes! ‘Positive vote’ is the new buzzword in BJP. The saffron outfit is confident and saying that the people’s endorsements of the work done by the government at the Centre will translate into votes in the states where Assembly elections are held.
BJP boses are hoping that the party’s consolidation over ‘positive votes’ will get them an extended run in Assam and a new term in West Bengal after it helped them deliver a much better performance than senior alliance partner JD(U) in the recent Bihar elections.
“BJP is no more looking at anti-incumbency votes in Bengal against Trinamool Congress. BJP had already bagged anti-incumbency votes there in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Now, it’s the positive vote that is coming to the aide of BJP in Bengal and Assam,” said a Union minister, who recently returned from electioneering in the two states.
For BJP, ‘positive vote’ means people supporting the party candidate in the state elections due to the work done by the Central government, its welfare measures, and the appeal of PM Narendra Modi.
However, the BJP’s electioneering in Bengal has focussed more on highlighting the failure of the TMC government, with thrust on syndicate, organised corruption, lack of development, non-implementation of Central schemes.
“In Assam, development done by the NDA government along with the achievements of the Centre will help BJP gain a straight second mandate on the basis of positive votes. In Bengal, BJP has worked up the aspirations of the people to expect better things, due to party being in power at the Centre. That aspiration will get the positive vote for BJP,” said another Union minister, who has also been on election campaiging duty in Assam and Bengal.
Reflecting on Bengal, the minister claimed that TMC and BJP are pitched in a direct contest, with the Left and Congress failing to find space in people’s attention during the build-up to polling. But he says the party has to better its 2019 performance by several notches.