BJP is scanning tours & deaths to track voters

In an effort to ensure high voter turnout when the state goes to polls on April 30, the BJP in Gujarat has taken to ‘micro-management’ to get an idea of the number of people who are likely to turn up to vote. BJP workers across the state have been asked to conduct a survey and identify voters who may not be available for voting on polling day. The survey is being carried out with the help of the party’s youth wing.

Most district units of the party have completed more than 50% of the task assigned to them. Party workers are identifying voters who will not available on polling day. The survey is trying to identify voters who will be out of the state on voting day, or may have migrated, died, or are too ill to vote on April 30.

“We are doing a door-to-door survey to identify voters who will not be present in the city on polling day,” said a source in the BJP youth cell.

“In Ahmedabad city, 60% of the work has been completed,” another source said. “Our survey has revealed that 8% to 10% of the total number of registered voters will not be available to cast their vote.” In rural areas, the party is facing the problem of labourers who have migrated to other places in search of seasonal employment.

“We have identified the voters who leave in search of employment at this time of the year,” a BJP worker of Banaskantha district said.

“We will make arrangements to ensure that they can come and vote too.”

According to the survey, some 5,000 voters will not available on voting day in Banaskantha district. BJP leaders, however, denied that a special survey was being carried out. They said the effort is part of the party’s booth level ‘micro-planning’. “Identifying voters who will not be available on polling day is a routine part of the BJP’s micro-planning for booth management,” said Bharat Pandya, in-charge of BJP election office.