BHUBANESWAR: Even as the BJP and Congress are trying to enhance their organisational outreach ahead of the 2024 elections, the ruling BJD has decided to resort to its very successful ‘family tagging’ system to outsmart the opposition.
Under the strategy, one member of the booth committee is given charge of 10 to 15 families in a village. The family tagging system had proven immensely beneficial for the party in the by-election to Brajarajnagar Assembly constituency, senior observer of BJD for six coastal and northern districts Prasanna Acharya said.
The family tagging system is not new for the BJD and it has been used by some active MLAs and senior leaders of the party earlier. But the party is set to expand it to the entire State to minimise the chances of victory of its opposition in the next elections.
Acharya said the system helped the party grab the Brajarajnagar Assembly constituency. With the vast organisational superiority of the party, contact at the last point will be adopted to foil the opposition’s plans, he added. Sources in the party pointed out that formation of booth committees has already started.
In each booth committee, two to three women members will be included. In several Assembly constituencies in the coastal districts, booth committees have already been formed. But in areas like western Odisha where BJP has a strong presence, the committees will be revamped. The ruling BJD has already revamped panchayat and block committees in the State.
Family tagging will start after formation of the booth committees. The focus will be on areas where the BJP and Congress have strong presence. The process of organisational restructuring has already started in the party with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik appointing senior observers and revamping the youth, student and women wings. Sources said the State office-bearers list will be announced soon.