The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Chhattisgarh is keeping its agenda of the parliamentary election campaign hinged on the achievements in developmental works undertaken by the Government locally in the State notwithstanding the mega national campaign centred around its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Party sources here said that local development would continue to be the key poll plank in the lok Sabha election as it had been successful in winning the Assembly polls last year.
While the centrally generated campaigns such as ‘One Note, One Vote’ and ‘Modi for PM’ remain part of the overall poll strategy, party workers have been advised not to miss out on the development agenda as it is only local issues which would ultimately decide the fate of the candidates even in the lok Sabha polls, sources said.
In regions such as the Maoist hotbeds of Bastar and even Surguja, party leaders have been told to aggressively push the development agenda during the campaigns as the party had suffered reverses in the Assembly polls in the two regions.
Especially in the context of widespread illiteracy among tribals and lack of understanding of national issues and leaders, it would be all the more necessary to focus on local issues in Bastar and Surguja and remain closer to the ground reality rather than pushing national issues in the campaigns, according to sources.
In the remote parts of Bastar and Surguja, tribals identify only with the local leaders who live in their part of the region rather than popular national leaders coming for campaigns in their areas during electioneering.
In all the 11 lok Sabha constituencies, the candidates already out campaigning are mainly talking about development issues although they broach issues of national importance broadly.
However, the party is also wary of the campaigns being taken up by the candidates of other parties, mainly the Congress, as they also remain highly localised and focussed on key issues relating to the region.
As the BJP is determined to win all the 11 lok Sabha seats, its workers are leaving no stone unturned in fanning out to homes across the State with a list of developmental achievements of the party's rule in the State.