BJP Relies on Collective Leadership, Aggressive Campaign in 3 Poll-Bound

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is banking on a strategy of collective leadership and a vigorous campaign in three of the five poll-bound states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, where it lost power to the Congress in 2018. In Telangana and Mizoram, where the BJP won one seat each in 2018, it seeks to expand its presence.

The BJP aims to retain Madhya Pradesh and regain Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh from the Congress, despite the challenge posed by the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a bloc of 26 opposition parties. INDIA has raised various issues, including demands for a caste-based national census and concerns about unemployment, the economy, and social harmony.

The BJP remains confident, citing its welfare programs, assertive foreign policy, landmark legislation for women’s reservation, and the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The party’s approach emphasizes “collective leadership” over personality-oriented politics, seeking to address anti-incumbency sentiments and foster a coalition of castes. The BJP campaign will focus on social welfare schemes and Modi’s leadership without projecting specific chief ministerial candidates.

Recent state elections have shown that voters prefer strong local leaders, but the BJP aims to avoid early chief ministerial projections. The party believes that projecting leaders too early can backfire, as seen in Karnataka, where replacing the chief minister had negative consequences.

In Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the BJP refrains from naming a chief ministerial candidate to manage anti-incumbency and fatigue factors associated with existing leaders. The same strategy is adopted in states where local leadership is weak.

These elections occur amid growing demands for caste-based enumeration, a matter the BJP has opposed. The party will need to work harder to maintain support from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who seek revisions to existing quotas. The BJP anticipates potential demands for caste surveys similar to Bihar’s, posing challenges in various states.