The BJP’s Satish Poonia, appointed the party’s Punjab in-charge, has started prepping the strategy for Punjab Assembly elections due next year – which by most accounts, could follow the pattern used in Haryana to great success. The plan focuses on separate teams for every assembly seat, small groups for different areas, leaders with strong personal contacts and regular feedback from the ground.
The BJP’s challenge in Punjab is to come to grips with the political and social situation in every assembly constituency and this is where going small could help. As senior leaders hold mega rallies to set the tone, smaller teams can work at the assembly and booth levels. The aim will be to combine a big campaign with strong ground-level organisation. Preference can be given to leaders and workers who have strong personal contacts in a particular area. Rajasthan’s border districts were a key part of Poonia’s Haryana strategy. Party workers from the neighbouring state were sent to areas where they already had personal contacts. They worked with local BJP workers and helped in election management. For example, BJP workers from Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh were involved in election management in areas around Sirsa, Adampur, Balsamand and Hisar.
Under Poonia’s strategy, an assembly constituency will be divided and each area put under a separate team, sources said.
