NEW DELHI: As part of a meticulously chalked-out new electoral strategy with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party through its Schedule Castes Morcha (Front), has embarked on a nation-wide mega outreach programme called ‘Basti Samprak Abhiyan’ for making an inroad into the SC vote bank. This outreach is aimed at educating the SC voters about the Modi government’s schemes, which have been launched so far for SC community in the country.
The BJP workers associated with Morcha are reaching all the polling booths that have more than 100 voters of the Schedule Caste community across the country. The SC electorates, who are tagged with such identified 75000 ‘weak’ booths, are interacted by the BJP workers and the office-bearers of SC Morcha on their problems. The SC voters are informed about various welfare schemes launched by the Modi government in the past 8 years.
A comprehensive list of weak booths where more than 100 SC voters cast their franchises during elections has been prepared by the party for the first time to make an effective inroad into the SC vote bank. The Schedule Caste constitutes 16.63% of India’s total population and their voting rate has also increased to a great extent in the past few decades.
The party has identified more than 75000 booths from across the country ahead of the 2024 LS elections which are considered weak for the BJP and have more than 100 SC voters on each of these identified booths. Speaking to this newspaper exclusively, Lal Singh Arya- BJP national president of SC Morcha, said that the Morcha has conducted training to the party workers on the strategy in 11 states.
“The Basti Samprak Abhiyan across 75000 SC pockets will continue with effect from September 17(PM birthday) to November 26(Constitution Day) as part of party’s efforts to acquaint the SC people with party’s ideologies and genuine concerns the PM has for them”, Arya said. He said that teams have been formed for the Basti Samprak Abhiyan right from block to state levels in every state of country under the guidelines of party's national president JP Nadda.
“As part of this Abhiyan, we are interacting with the students living in 75000 SC hostels and educating them about the works done by the Modi government as a real champion of causes of SC people in the past 8 years. We are exposing the Congress Party and other in opposition as how they have so far exploited the SC people for vested electoral benefits”, Arya alleged.
The BJP has formed the SC Morcha in country’s 30 states so far and the office-bearers of the mocha are meeting regularly with the intellectuals, retired people and other professionals of SC community over the party’s concern for the SC community.
“At least 25 intellectuals belonging to SC community in each district are connected with the party and their associations are giving a trust among common SC people”, Arya claimed, adding that the heads of religious bodies like the Saint Ravi Das Mandir, the Valmiki Mandir, the Kabir Mandir and others are also approached with party’s concerns for the welfare of SC people.
He predicted that 90% of India’s total SC population will be voting to BJP in the next general elections and assembly elections, which are schedule in some states this and next year.
“No party has now emerged as trustworthy for the SC people as the BJP has emerged under the leadership of PM Modi, who has accorded the topmost dignity to the SC community. He set an example of service to SC people when he washed the feet of 'safaikarmi’ with the Gangajal recently”, he said.