Lucknow: The Bhartiya Janta Party is reviewing its performance in the recently concluded assembly polls in five states, especially the politically significant Uttar Pradesh, which it won with a clear majority, with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, party sources said.
While the Yogi Adityanath government broke the anti-incumbency jinx by retaining power in 36 years of the UP election history, the party lost nearly 60 seats as compared to the 2017 assembly elections winning 255 seats against 325 in 2017, a statistics that must be concerning the party leadership. The BJP is also set to form governments in Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur while the AAP formed the maiden government in Punjab.
Sources said that the BJP is engaged in the review and analysis of the elections, especially regarding the results of the Uttar Pradesh elections.
According to sources, a lot of analysis and brainstorming has been done in different meetings over the results and the new cabinets in the state governments. If sources are to be believed, Dharmendra Pradhan, the in-charge of Uttar Pradesh put the complete blueprint of the results of Uttar Pradesh elections before Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a recent meeting. In the meeting four major factors- educational qualification of the winning candidate, specialisation, his/her caste and age of the candidate were discussed threadbare with the candidates categorided by the leadership accordingly, sources said.
As per sources, the educational qualification and age of candidates are being given due diligence in the new Cabinets with educated and young winning candidates likely to get coveted berths. Besides, the seats where the party's vote share increased and those where the party's vote share decreased, are also being analysed for course correction in a bid to strengthen the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, added the sources. If party sources are to be believed, candidates from diverse backgrounds are being considered for representation in the government.
The party has also conducted an analysis and survey of the ministers and the party has made up its mind not to repeat those whose reports have come out bad. However, according to sources, leaders with a mass appeal could be given a chance. Apart from this, the party is also considering giving representation to women prominently this time with speculations being made that three Deputy Chief Ministers can be made instead of two, in which the party can also include a woman candidate.
Overall, the representation in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet of the party will be made keeping in mind how the caste equation will affect the 2024 elections. BJP's national general secretary Arun Singh said that he has got a “huge support base in Uttar Pradesh” and his party “does not sit comfortably after the victory, but continues to serve the people”. On the question of whether the organisation has already started preparing for the 2024 general elections, he said that the Lok Sabha elections “are bigger than the state elections and the party will obviously prepare for this election for some time in advance and that is a normal process”.
He said that there were strict instructions by PM Modi “that after winning the election, whether it is an MLA or an MP, he/she should be available to the people of his/her area”.
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