THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections that are a little over a year and a half away, the BJP has decided to go on an overdrive to publicise the Narendra Modi-led Union government's achievements, invigorate the party's rank and file and expand its mass base. In the first phase, six Lok Sabha seats in Kerala are among the constituencies that the party has identified across the country to launch major outreach programmes.
It was during the national office bearers' meeting in Jaipur in May this year that the proposal to start preparatory work for the Lok Sabha election in select constituencies was discussed. The chosen constituencies include the 144 seats that the saffron party lost in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The proposal was endorsed in the recently held national executive meeting in Hyderabad.
"As per the plan, Union Ministers will be in charge of controlling, monitoring and appraising the activities of the chosen Lok Sabha constituency," said a national executive member. He added that senior state leaders have been assigned as 'prabharis' (in charge) in the constituencies to coordinate various activities in the run-up to the Lok Sabha election.
In the state, the six constituencies where the party will launch major outreach programes are: Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, Pathanamthitta, Mavelikkara, Thrissur and Palakkad. "While External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is leading the outreach programme in Thiruvananthapuram, Union Ministers Sobha Karandlaje and Bhagwanth Khuba have already carried out their tasks in Pathanamthitta and Palakkad respectively," the leader said.
According to party sources, the work in the constituencies will be carried out in a three-tier manner. While a team of senior central leaders will chart out the action plan, the state team will execute it on the ground. The third team of Union ministers will undertake periodic visits and monitor the work executed. They will also act as a link between the national and state teams.
"Another highlight of the first phase will be public contact programmes to reach out to voters of different age groups and diverse social strata. Special focus will be on winning the support of minorities and Dalit communities as part of expanding the party's mass base," said a senior
leader.
After exhaustive visits and interactions in the Lok Sabha constituencies assigned, the Union Ministers will give a comprehensive report to the central leadership based on which the activities of the second phase will be charted out.