UP elections: Development to play big on BJP's poll agenda

Playing up the idea of development and tightening of security measures under the Yogi government will be big on the Bharatiya Janata Party’s poll agenda in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Policy reforms, rollouts and freebies aimed at women and the poor will be at the heart of the ruling party’s poll time offering, communications, as well as strategies, senior leaders of the party, said.

Senior leaders that DH spoke to said that the BJP will play up its pro-poor, welfare-based and women-centric schemes.

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“The idea is to break consolidated votes across castes, and tell the voter that under our government there was upward mobility of the poor, the old and women,” said a senior functionary from the party’s Delhi headquarters, involved in the party’s election preparations.

The leader said that in his poll speeches, PM Narendra Modi has frequently touched upon free electricity and housing that has been given to the poor.

Party leaders said that in a post-Covid scenario, with dipping income and a rising inflation rate, the BJP cannot be seen not offering something. “The Opposition will attack us on these very grounds,” said another senior party functionary from the state.

Freebies and concessions on ease of living, the functionary said, for these target groups will be part of the offering.

To this end, the party has started distributing pamphlets of its achievements in the last four and a half years, in villages, the state leader said.

“We have increased pensions for widows and senior citizens, and they are given Rs 2,000 over four months between December to March in two installments. The number of beneficiaries of the scheme is over 6.66 crore,” said the leader.

Apart from women and those below the poverty line, the party will also reach out to farmers, the leader said.

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