The BJP will field over 15 lakh trained workers — 15 times more than it had in 2014 — to drive its Lok Sabha election campaign, a party leader said on Saturday.
BJP general secretary P. Muralidhar Rao, who is in charge of the party’s training department, said the trained manpower will give the party an edge over its rivals in the general elections as no other political party could claim such an “asset”.
“In all the elections since 2015, this trained workforce has contributed in a big way in swinging the poll outcome in the BJP’s favour. We are sure that in the 2019 general election too, this massive training programme will have a huge impact in ensuring voter turnout and support for the party,” he told reporters.
About 1 lakh trained workers had been fielded by the party for electioneering in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, he said.
Massive support
Mr. Rao claimed that this massive organisational backup had helped the party put its rivals far behind in several State Assembly elections and also managed to put up a “decent show” when the party did not fare well in some States.
Several BJP leaders have referred to the narrow gap between the vote shares of the BJP and the Congress in the Rajasthan Assembly polls to support the view that the BJP retains a stronghold there.
Leadership potential
In all future elections, Mr. Rao said, the trained manpower with leadership potential will prove to be a precious asset.
“The BJP is approaching the general election 2019 with this reserve of trained political cadre. This is a unique and unprecedented experiment in the history of the BJP. These trained workers will form the backbone of the party’s workforce and leadership reserve in the days to come,” he said.