NEW DELHI: After the BJP juggernaut ran into rough weather with the party fielding many turncoats in the Assembly elections and some leaders—including Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath fielding proxies and withdrawing them later—Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that it’s a “make or break” for the BJP. Modi told all 71 BJP MPs, including 15 ministers, from the state to drop their tunnel vision and ensure victory in their constituencies.
BJP chief Amit Shah also cracked the whip on MPs and ministers, asking them to ensure victory in at least half the constituencies in their areas. “The BJP chief said since the party favourably considered their concerns in ticket distribution at the cost of cadres’ anger, the onus is on them to ensure victory. He told MPs and ministers that the outcome of the polls will reflect on their performance,” said sources close to Shah.
Union Minister for Home Affairs Rajnath Singh leads the pack of 15 nominees from UP, including Uma Bharati, Kalraj Mishra, Mahesh Sharma, Maneka Gandhi, Gen V K Singh, Manoj Sinha, Anupriya Patel, Krishna Raj, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti and Sanjeev Kumar Balyan. Kalraj Mishra and Mahesh Sharma are toiling hard to ensure Brahmins back the party. Uma Bharati has to ensure BJP beats the BSP in Bundelkhand.
Shah had ensured the induction of three MPs from the state in the last Cabinet reshuffle. UP now has the maximum representation in the Modi Cabinet with 15 ministers. “He has given specific tasks to leaders, which include polarisation against tactical voting by the minority community and cementing social engineering to consolidate the upper castes and OBCs in favour of the BJP,” added the sources.
The BJP chief has also told MPs their chances of winning a renomination for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will depend on the victory of candidates in the UP elections.