With lok Sabha elections 2014 inching closer, the Chandigarh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is pulling out all stops to make inroads in the citadel of ruling Congress here.
Out of power for over a decade in Chandigarh, the BJP has now chalked out a strategy to make a dent in the traditional vote bank of Congress in the lok Sabha polls for the lone seat.
Struggling to acquire an upper hand in the political showdown, the Opposition is targeting to woo the slum and village population prior to the elections. Raising their voice time and again, on the issues related to water, electricity, accommodation troubles of slums and rural areas, BJP is trying hard to garner their support.
Since last few months, the party has been raising the problems of slums and rural population of the city with higher authorities. By writing letters to Union Ministers and senior UT functionaries, the senior BJP leaders are toiling to grab the limelight and strike a chord with the slum and rural population of the city.
Besides, the party is focusing on organising functions, events, campaigns, protests in these areas on regular basis. Also, with a high voter turnout in slums and villages, the BJP is also making sure that every voter here gets a voter identity card (ID).
The party has deputed a number of workers in such areas to woo the voters’ especially first time voters and youth and assist them in making their voter identity cards.
Notably, the Congress has a stronghold in the rural and slum areas of the city, which has a large number of voters.
The voters in rural and slum population of Chandigarh always play a vital role in deciding the fate of candidates in the fray for city parliamentary constituency.
In the past elections, the city has witnessed higher poll percentage from slum and rural areas as compared to posh residential localities of the city.
During last lok Sabha elections in the year 2009, out of over 5 lakh registered voters in the city, the slum colonies had around 1.6 lakh voters, city sectors had 2.8 lakh and villages had around 80,000 voters.
In the previous lok Sabha polls, the voting percentage in colonies and villages has remained higher than the sectors. The poll percentage in the year 2004 was 52.06 percent. In 1998 and 1999, it was only 42.36 per cent and 46.99 per cent respectively.
And, breaking the record of past 20 years, the voting percentage was recorded over 65.02 percent in 2009.
The Congress’ local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal had won Chandigarh seat in 1991, 1999 and 2004 and 2009. In the past elections, the share of polled votes of Congress has witnessed increase during its wins except the last win.
As per the data, the party had received 35 percent votes in 1991 that increased to 47 percent in 1999 and 52 percent in 2004. The polling percentage in favor of Congress’ was 47 percent in last lok Sabha elections 2009.
Sanjay Tandon, BJP Chandigarh chief while talking to The Pioneer said that the party is focusing on all the segments of the society. The party has been raising the problems of people living in slums and villages time and again and would continue to do so.
The party chief said BJP has been constituting separate committees at all 449 booths with an aim to reach out to the voters of all the segments of the society. Besides, campaigns and functions are also organized in both rural and urban areas of the city.
Adding to this, Amit Rana, Chandigarh Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) president said that BJYM is regularly organizing the campaigns and events in rural and slum areas of the city. Also, we have got an overwhelming response during youth membership drive in these areas.
Ahead of the announcement of high-octane lok Sabha elections 2014, the city BJP has also put in a request to a number of central BJP leaders to visit the city and address party workers and public rallies here.
Chandigarh, a union territory and the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, is an important political centre of northern India and the political parties have already got into poll mode to woo the city voters of the city.