Assembly polls: BJP to pay more attention to 45 Hindu-majority seats
The upcoming assembly elections in Punjab in 2022 will be a test of BJP’s strength in the north Indian state where the saffron party has so far played second fiddle to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).
With the Akalis severing ties with the BJP and farmers up in arms against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three farm laws, the party has decided to be pragmatic and focus on seats dominated by Hindus, though it will contest all 117 seats.
What are the seats the BJP will focus on?
The state leadership has identified 45 Hindu majority seats, which mostly constitute urban centres. The BJP has a substantial clout in these seats since 60% of the population here is Hindu.
The party has reasons to believe it will do well in the chosen 45 seats. In the last elections, which the party fought in alliance with SAD, it won 23 of the 45 seats.
State BJP president Subhash Sharma said, “It (this election) is a different experience for the BJP. The party will fight solo this time. And we are confident of doing well.”
News18.com quoted a senior party leader to say, “The BJP leadership at the Centre realises that the state leadership is faced with the difficulty of campaigning and there have been incidents of attacks against BJP leaders in the recent past,” said a senior state BJP leader. He underlined that it would be best for the BJP to concentrate in the areas where it is on a strong footing and has a chance to make inroads into other areas.
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The BJP leaders are also looking at seats where the party was very strong during the Jana Sangh days. Constituencies like Ropar, Jalalabad, Patiala (Urban), Bathinda (Urban) can fetch good results for the party. Besides, they are preparing well in advance for seats like Derabassi, Kharar and Mohali, Ropar, Budhlada and Bathinda (Urban).
The BJP state leadership is also keen to work with NGOs and like-minded social institutions that can help the party make inroads into constituencies where farmers’ unions are strong.
