Party has organised mass marriage and women’s convention programmes.
With Muslim voters largely out of its reach and the possibility of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and other smaller parties consolidating their vote base among the backward sections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to aggressively woo Dalit voters in the state.
For the first time, the BJP will organise a Dalit Mahila Sammelan (Dalit Women’s Convention) on February 3 in Gandhinagar. The party, with the aim of going to the grassroots and sub-community level, has also organised a mass marriage for Dalits on March 1.
“Chief minister Narendra Modi has announced lucrative schemes for Dalits during his tenure, which will be helpful in boosting the party image. Prior to the assembly polls, the party had organised Dalit Chetna Rath and Dalit conventions at the district and taluka levels,” party sources said, adding, “Dalit voters can shape poll results, and, therefore, the BJP wants to create a committed Dalit voter base.”
About 5,000 women, including three women MLAs, are expected to take part in the Dalit Women’s Convention in Gandhinagar. State BJP president Purshottam Rupala; national president of the SC cell, Satyanarayan Jatia; and other leaders will address the convention.
“We will brief women delegates about the state government’s schemes and their implementation, awareness programmes for Dalits and the strategy for elections,” said Manilal Parmar, state general secretary of the SC cell of the BJP.
The party has for the first time organised a mass marriage on March 1. As many as 151 couples are expected to tie the knot on the occasion. Chief minister Modi and other national leaders are likely to attend the function. “We are organising such a function for the first time and 90 couples have already registered,” said Jitu Waghela, convener of the marriage function. “We are organising the mass marriage for the uplift of the Dalit community,” he added.
According to a political survey, Dalits comprise 30 per cent of the voters in the state. They can significantly influence poll results in the upcoming parliamentary elections if they vote en bloc.
During the last assembly elections, 11 Dalit candidates, including three women, had won the election, which was three more than the assembly polls of 2002. Two Lok
Sabha constituencies are reserved for Dalits.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}