Assembly elections are going to be held in Maharashtra next month and the BJP has completed preparations for the same. Winning Maharashtra is crucial for the BJP and thus the party is leaving no stone unturned to register a second consecutive win in the state. For this, the party is heavily leaning on its top leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other big leaders whose public meetings are planned.
In a very well-planned strategy for Maharashtra polls, the BJP has decided to field these party stalwarts to demoralize the opponents. BJP does not want to leave any stone unturned to woo voters by fielding star campaigners and influential party leaders in election rallies. As per the plans over 170 public meetings by 6 big faces including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been planned.
PM Modi is expected to hold a total of 8 public meetings in West Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Mumbai-Konkan, North Maharashtra and Marathwada. About 20 rallies of Amit Shah, 40 of Nitin Gadkari, 50 of Devendra Fadnavis and 15 rallies of UP CM Yogi Adityanath are planned in Maharashtra. The voting for 288 assembly seats in Maharashtra will be held on November 20 and the results will be declared on November 23.
RSS joins forces with BJP
It may be noted that in Maharashtra, the BJP is not only facing rebellion after ticket distribution but also dealing with the anti-incumbency factor. To help the party tide through this the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is standing behind just like it did in Haryana. The volunteers of the Sangh are explaining to the people the need for the BJP for the welfare of the society and the country through Jan Jagran in the entire state.
The BJP and the RSS have now diluted all their issues that had cropped during the 2024 Lok Saha polls which had led to the BJP falling short of a majority. Realising that the lack of coordination and a miffed RSS was not a healthy sign for the Saffron party, the issues were sorted between the two during a coordination meeting after the LS polls. As a result of this the RSS worked hard for BJP in the recent Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir assembly elections. Especially in Haryana where BJP was considered very weak, but it has succeeded in coming to power with a majority of more seats than last time.
The RSS has been saying that, it never seeks votes but its swayamsevaks go among the people and raise awareness and talk about issues of interest to the nation, state and society. This ground work of RSS indirectly strengthens the BJP and helps in the expansion of its electoral politics.
How is Sangh helping BJP in Maharashtra?
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has formed teams to create an atmosphere in favour of the BJP across the state. Each of these teams comprises 5-10 people who are meeting small groups of people and telling them about the policies of the government. These teams of the Sangh are reaching out to families through the mohallas and local networks of their respective areas. According to sources, these people do not directly appeal for votes for the BJP but try to create an atmosphere in the favour of the Modi government by discussing national issues, Hindutva, good governance, public welfare and various issues of the society.
It may be noted that Maharashtra is very crucial for the RSS as the Sangh headquarters is in Nagpur and thus these elections are also a prestige issue for it. Sangh sources add that it has already started creating public awareness by holding small meetings at about 50,000 places in the entire state. It also solves their questions and tells them what is in their and the country’s interest.
RSS volunteers are active at different social levels. These include slums, Dalit settlements, rural and tribal areas and various social communities.
In Maharashtra, the RSS has a well-organised cadre base where it is also focussing on the tribals, Dalits and economically weaker castes by telling the voters about the welfare schemes of the Modi government that are specially targeted towards them.
Through targeted discussions and close engagement with the community, the RSS aims to replicate its successful strategy from the Haryana elections. With high stakes for all parties involved, the result of the Maharashtra assembly election will be a testimony to the influence of the RSS and its role as a formidable force in Indian electoral politics. Additionally, the RSS has also managed to get tickets for its supporters and leaders close to it so as to win the election at any cost.
BJP won’t repeat the LS polls mistake
The role of RSS in BJP’s victory can be gauged from the fact that in the last Lok Sabha elections, the RSS limited its role and as a result BJP remained far from the majority figure. Before the Lok Sabha elections, BJP President JP Nadda had said in one of his statements that initially BJP needed the support of the RSS, but now with time the BJP has become capable of moving on its own. It is believed that after this statement, the ground-level RSS workers did not show much enthusiasm in the election campaign. This resulted in BJP despite aiming to cross 400, failing to even touch the majority figure.
