The Bharatiya Janata party has decided to use Panchayat elections as a parameter to judge party’s popularity at the village level and would use this election results to assess the lapses before the crucial assembly elections of 2017.
“The Panchayat elections are very crucial for the party. A win in this election will be a morale booster for the cadre. This election will give us an opportunity to invigorate the cadre,” in-charge of UP and national vice-president Om Mathur told a select group of reporters here on Tuesday.
He said that the party leaders know about the disconnect between cadre and senior leaders at the village level. The Panchayat elections will give us an opportunity to fill that gap. “The panchayat polls would give the party a platform to assess the lapses before the assembly polls. This will be an opportunity to know the area which needs our attention,” he said.
Though the Panchayat elections in UP are not fought on party symbols but the BJP has decided to declare its candidates. In last Panchayat elections of 2012 the BJP had lost almost all the seats and was practically wiped out in rural belt.
“I have already held a meeting with the party workers and cadres over the panchayat polls and the local workers. The interest of the party workers has enthused me a lot. I am hopeful that BJP will do better this time,” Mathur said.
The BJP’s UP in-charge was buoyant at the successful membership drive. “A record 17 million new members have joined the party in the state while another five million joined us during the Maha Samparak Abhiyan. Never in the history of any party such a large number of members have joined any organization. This shows the growing popularity of the party ,” he said.
Defending the Narendra Modi government over the criticism that it has failed to live upto the expectations of people Mathur said: “You cannot clean the garbage of 67 years in one year. Modi government’s has a clear road map of development and other agenda and the results would start emerging very soon.”
When his attention was drawn on the inflation and price rise of essential commodities, the BJP leader said, the government was also concerned on the issue and some action has been taken to control the prices..