For some time now, the party has been pursuing a strategy of capturing the lower-level levers of power, and it plans to continue with the same. This strategy is expected to pay rich dividends.
After lower than expected tally in this year's parliamentary polls and the debacle in Junagadh Municipal Corporation election, the assembly bypoll results have come as a morale booster for BJP. This has only strengthened the party's resolve to retain its hold on the state politics. And for this, the party reckons, it would do better to abandon the conventional thought of giving importance only to civic, assembly and parliamentary polls.
For some time now, the party has been pursuing a strategy of capturing the lower-level levers of power, and it plans to continue with the same. This strategy is expected to pay rich dividends to the party by way of prolonging its hold over the state politics.
The state is set to witness civic polls in the state from middle of next year. Six municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats and taluka panchayasts will go to polls. With this in view, the party doesn't want to spare any small lever of power, which could help it face the civic polls successfully.
It is in pursuance to this objective that BJP leaders or leaders backed by the party are aggressively fighting elections in dairy sector, co-operative banking sector, co-operative societies, agriculture market produce committees and others. Party leaders are of the view that these are an integral part of state politics.
"It goes without saying that smaller power centres can play a vital role in the big power games, like assembly, parliamentary and civic polls," said a BJP leader. "Lower-level politics gives an opportunity to understand the minds of grassroot people, emerging trends and thought of the society," he said.
"It is for this reason that BJP is very active and aggressive in lower-level politics. Recently, the party successfully stormed the Congress bastions like Gujarat State Co-operative Bank and Gujarat Cricket Association," said another senior BJP leader. "BJP-backed candidates join the fray in all types of co-operative sector elections and politics," he said.
"The party is also taking care to build its future team cautiously, giving opportunities to lower-level workers," the leader said. "It is because some workers get disappointed with the party when active and eligible party workers are ignored in distribution of tickets for various bodies. Some workers are also worried after the row among the central leadership. Therefore, rebuilding and regaining of faith of party workers will be vital," he said.
Even the chief minister, Narendra Modi, seems to be in a mood to give weightage to party workers. During his speech on the occasion of the victory rally in Dehgam on Monday, Modi said, "Many people say that nothing moves in the state BJP without my wishes, but the party is, in fact, run by lakhs of party workers."
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