HYDERABAD: Is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) preparing to shift into full election mode in Telangana? If party insiders are to be believed, the answer appears to be yes.
As part of its “Mission Telangana”, the party has put together a dedicated election strategy team, signalling a broader organisational push ahead of the Hyderabad, Malkajgiri and Cyberabad municipal corporation elections and the next Assembly polls.
According to BJP sources, the newly put-together “Abhishta Team”, modelled on the party’s West Bengal campaign team, has begun operations in Telangana and joined two existing consultancies in a coordinated election war room. The expanded setup is expected to oversee campaign planning, voter outreach and organisational strategy across the state.
Party leaders said the BJP has adopted a multi-layered election management structure, on the lines of the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) model, to assess the political situation at the grassroots, monitor voter-related processes and prepare constituency-specific strategies well ahead of the electoral cycle.
According to BJP sources, two agencies — the Association of Billion Minds (ABM) and Jarvi — have been working with the Telangana unit for the past few years. Their responsibilities have now been widened as the party steps up preparations for the coming elections.
BJP leaders said ABM, which is understood to function under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has been associated with the Telangana unit for four to five years. The agency is said to be responsible for campaign planning, political messaging and the party’s overall election strategy.
Jarvi, according to party leaders, operates voter outreach call centres, gathers voter feedback and works on strengthening the party’s booth-level organisation. The agency is also said to coordinate booth committees, mobilise grassroots workers and maintain the BJP’s Saral App used for organisational activities.
The latest addition, informally referred to within the party as the “Abhishta Team”, is understood to have worked under senior BJP leaders Sunil Bansal and Bhupender Yadav during the party’s West Bengal election campaign. Party insiders said the team has now been assigned a dedicated role in Telangana as part of the BJP’s expanded election apparatus.
Abhishta Team will only report to BL Santhosh: BJP leaders
According to sources, the consultancy is currently focusing on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana. The team is said to be monitoring booth-level developments, evaluating the performance of BJP booth agents and advising local leaders on areas requiring greater attention during the voter verification exercise.
BJP state leaders also claimed that the team reports to BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, who has held meetings with its members in recent days. Sources said the consultancy has been entrusted with assessing the party’s organisational preparedness and providing strategic inputs based on field-level feedback.
The induction of a third consultancy is being viewed within the party as part of a wider effort to strengthen its organisational network ahead of the municipal corporation elections and the next Assembly polls. According to BJP sources, the three agencies are expected to work in tandem to assess the political landscape, fine-tune constituency-level strategies and build the party’s organisational capacity in the run-up to the next electoral cycle.
