As the Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh inch closer, leaders of the state unit of the BJP met party president J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss details like ticket distribution.
Elections for the hill state could be announced early next month.
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, state party president Suresh Kashyap, party in charge for Himachal Avinash Rai Khanna, and the party’s organisational secretary Pavan Rana were present in the meeting. Newly elected national general secretary and Himachal Pradesh election in charge Saudan Singh was also present.
Leaders in the meeting deliberated over the ticket distribution. A composite survey of four different assessments was taken into consideration, said a leader present in the meeting.
A strategy to work out publicity of the state BJP government’s schemes was discussed, said sources.
‘Own schemes’
The hill state has its own version of popular Modi government schemes to reach out to those who are not beneficiaries of central schemes. For instance, the Himcare scheme is aimed at those not covered by Ayushman Bharat, while Griheni Suvidha Yojana is the local version of the Ujjwala scheme.
“We hope to buck the trend of the state, which is considered a swing state. The BJP has done it before in Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur,” said a leader present in the meeting.
The state unit of the BJP is wary of the announcements that the Congress and new entrant Aam Aadmi Party are making for the potential voters.
AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal has announced five guarantees that include good schools and improved education, Rs 1,000 per month to women as ‘Stree Samman Rashi’, free healthcare, and Rs 1 crore to the kin of soldiers who have died on duty.
Congress, too, has its own set of 10 guarantees, including 300 free electricity units, restoration of the old pension scheme for employees, financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to women between 18 and 60 years, and creation of five lakh jobs.
In addition to a three-cornered contest, the BJP is also dealing with some factionalism within its ranks.