After the visit of BJP president Rajnath Singh, Chandigarh BJP has swung into action to strengthen the party base at the booth-level to reach out to voters of all age-groups.
Bracing up ahead of lok Sabha elections 2014, the city BJP has initiated the process to constitute separate committees at all 449 booths in Chandigarh.
Following BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's formula to tap young voters and booth-level re-strengthening, Chandigarh BJP has already constituted separate committees at 360 booths and is in the process to constitute all booth committees in a month's time. To reach out to prospective voters of all segments, the party is constituting an eleven members committee at each booth which would look into the works of election campaigning, garner people's support and spread party's ideology. The move is also aimed at knowing people's mood on elections at each booth prior to the announcement of parliamentary elections.
Talking to The Pioneer, Sanjay Tandon, Chandigarh BJP chief said, "Prior to lok Sabha elections 2014, the party is focusing on strengthening its base at booth level in the city. After directions from the Central BJP leaders for fortifying the party upto booth-level, the party city unit has started constituting committees at all booths here."
Tandon said, "Each committee headed by a party worker would have a total of eleven members. About 360 booth level committees have already been constituted and 40 more committees would be constituted soon."
The leaders of all already constituted Committees have been directed to start visiting their respective areas and look into the problems of the residents. The leaders also have an onus to organize mass contact programmes and others functions in their respective areas.
Chandigarh BJP president added, "The party is also actively wooing the youngsters to join the party. Through the membership drive, the party has managed to induct a large number of youth so far."
Tandon said, "Besides, to connect with the city residents, the party has been regularly conducting campaigns against Congress and local MP, organizing functions like medical camps among others at booth level." With an eye on parliamentary elections scheduled next year, the party is also set to organize a massive protest drive against former Union Railway Minister and local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal. From Bansal's alleged involvement in Chandigarh's booth allotment scam to Railway Board Bribery scam, the party has planned to initiate a protest across the city to spread awareness about the same at the booth level.
Rajnath Singh during his recent meeting with city BJP leaders had directed them to re-strengthen the party base at booth level and work unitedly to win city's parliamentary seat in the upcoming lok Sabha elections.
Rajnath had also asked the city party unit to actively campaign against Bansal and spread awareness at grassroot levels about corruption cases like Railway board bribery scam in which Bansal was allegedly involved.
The BJP has remained 'unfortunate' three times in a row in lok Sabha elections here. During 2009 lok Sabha elections, Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal had retained Chandigarh's seat recording a hat-trick on the seat. Bansal had recorded his fourth win since 1991 and third consecutive win from Chandigarh parliamentary seat. In 2009, Bansal had received 1.61 lakh votes defeating archrival Satya Pal Jain of BJP and Harmohan Dhawan, who had fought elections on BSP ticket then. In a major shift from the trend observed in the past elections when the urban Chandigarh had favoured the BJP, the Congress had bagged a large share of these votes-almost 55 percent during 2009.