LUCKNOW: With a huge army of 1.80 crore foot soldiers hitting the ground, BJP is gearing up to go the whole hog to counter the challenges posed by SP-BSP alliance and Rahul-Priyanka combination of Congress, in country’s politically most crucial state of Uttar Pradesh during upcoming Lok Sabha polls. 

The party has woven its strategy around fortification of booths on the lines of its 2014 victory mantra. Besides charting out a course of rallies to be addressed by PM Narendra Modi and BJP national chief Amit Shah, the
party has decided to mobilise its present chief ministers and formers CMs and deputy CMs to hold cluster meetings of the cadre across 80 parliamentary segments in the state. 

BJP and its allies had walked away with 73 of 80 seats in previous Lok Sabha elections. SP had got five seats, Congress just two. As per the party sources, BJP has divided 80 parliamentary segments of Uttar Pradesh
into 19 clusters. Senior party leaders, including union ministers, former and present CMs and Deputy CMs, will be entrusted with the responsibility of different clusters, wherein, they will be appointing cluster in-charge and
coordinators to reach out to the grass level workers and fortify all 1.40 lakh booths across the state. 

“The strong presence of our cadre till the last booth will enable us to prevail over the onslaught of the opposition and any of the rival alliances,” says state BJP vice-president and booth committee in-charge JPS Rathore.

Meanwhile, BJP national president Amit Shah will begin taking stock of the booths by talking to each and every booth in-charge from January 30.  The BJP chief will be holding six such meetings across the state.

The first convention to be addressed by Shah in Lucknow will see the participation of booth in-charges of 16 Lok Sabha constituencies of Lucknow, Sitapur, Ayodhya and Gonda clusters of Awadh region on January 30. Shah will hold a similar convention in Amroha, western UP on February 2, Kashi, Jaunpur and Gorakhpur sectors in Maharajganj of eastern UP on February 8.

Moreover, the BJP has entrusted Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, JP Nadda (UP in-charge), Govardhan Bhai Zadafia (co-incharge), party’s national vice-president Dr Dushyant Gautam, Narottam Mishra, Haryana CM Manohar Lala Khattar, Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, former CM of Madhya Pradesh and party vice president Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Chhattisgarh ex-CM and party Vice – president Dr Raman Singh and Rajasthan ex-CM and party vice president Vasundhara Raje will hold cluster meetings with the in-charges of booths under their respective sectors to impart finer points and insight into poll management.

Elaborating on the role of CMs of BJP ruled states and former CMs being put into service in UP, Rathore said while Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi was expected to address the cluster comprising Lok Sabha constituencies of Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Phulpur and Amethi on January 31, former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan would address party workers of Ayodhya cluster comprising Faizabad, Barabanki and Ambedkarnagar Lok Sabha constituencies on February 5.

Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat is expected to address cluster meetings of Lok Sabha constituencies of Moradabad, Sambhal, Bijnor, Nagina (likely constituency of BSP chief Mayawati), Amroha and Rampur on February 10. 

While Harayana CM Manohar Lal Khattar would handle five Lok Sabha constituencies in Purvanchal, covering Kashi, Jaunpur and Gorakhpur, the Yogi turf, former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh would interact with
cadre of Kanpur, Akbarpur, Farrukhabad, Kannauj and Etawah LS constituencies of central UP. 

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is widely tipped to contest from Kannauj.

“The purpose of these cluster meetings will be to mobilise the cadre for the final push and exhorting it to take opposition challenge head on in the state by taking to achievements of the Central government to each and every household,” says Rathore.

Nadda addressed one such cluster meeting in Unnao on Sunday. He met the district heads, and booth in-charges of Lucknow, Unnao, Mohanlalganj and Rae Bareli LS constituencies.

“The cadre at Unnao was told by Nadda to rebuff the opposition attack with facts and figures on the tips of BJP workers regarding government welfare schemes like Ujjawala Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, Atal Pension plan, PM Jeevam Jyoti, Mudra Yojna, PM Awas Yojna, etc. They have been told to make people aware of the benefits reaching them through the development schemes,” said Rathore.