The Congress has already declared candidates for 54 seats and its president Rahul Gandhi has started campaigning. After the polls were announced on March 10, BJP leaders have been busy discussing candidates, manifesto and other strategies.
In terms of announcing candidates, the BJP seems to be lagging behind the Opposition Congress which has announced more than 50 candidates, but the ruling party appears to be keeping the buzz alive with an intense social media campaign.
The BJP has not yet announced any candidates so far for the Lok Sabha elections, but declared candidates for the 123 Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh and 54 in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday. The BJP-led NDA also announced the seat-sharing arrangement in Bihar.
According to sources, at Saturday’s meeting, the BJP leadership cleared candidates for Northeastern states, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Uttarakhand and Bihar. On Monday, it is expected to clear some candidates for Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu among others.
The Congress has already declared candidates for 54 seats and its president Rahul Gandhi has started campaigning. After the polls were announced on March 10, BJP leaders have been busy discussing candidates, manifesto and other strategies.
Party sources said the Prime Minister, BJP’s star campaigner, is expected to begin his rallies by end March. But Narendra Modi has already addressed public meetings or BJP workers in over 100 Lok Sabha constituencies in 22 states in the past few weeks, sources said. The party’s media head and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni said the BJP through a series of programmes such as ‘Mera parivar, Bhajapa parivar’, mega contact drive and ‘vijay sankalp’ rallies, has reached out to 10 crore people recently.
Modi also addressed party workers and beneficiaries of his government’s schemes through video-conferences while party president Amit Shah has done so by holding public meetings, speaking to social media volunteers and addressing booth-level workers in over 130 Lok Sabha constituencies.
The PM has started a massive social media campaign by launching the slogan “Main Bhi Chowkidar hoon”, countering Rahul’s repeated “Chowkidar chor hein” jibe.
After Modi posted it on social media outlets – with the line “Your Chowkidar is standing firm & serving the nation” – senior BJP leaders, ministers and party chief ministers added the moniker as prefix to their Twitter handle names.
BJP sources said the slogan, which is expected to underline Modi’s role as safeguarding the nation’s interest, will accentuate the party’s campaign on national security. The BJP’s campaign has so far centered around national security – with focus on the Balakot airstrike – and the “efficiency of delivery mechanism” under Modi when it comes to welfare schemes.
As his cabinet and party followed the suit by Sunday evening, Modi tweeted: “My best wishes to all you chowkidars. Very pleased with your enthusiasm. Owing to your watchfulness corruption is on the wane and thieves are feeling the pain.”
source: Indian Express