By IANS
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared itself in poll mode at the opening Sunday of a three-day meeting of its national executive and projected its three main leaders as the party’s mascots for the next general elections.
The party also demanded that assembly polls should be held simultaneously in all 10 states where elections are due this year.
The blueprint for the next general elections is being laid out at the three-day national executive and national council meetings, which began here Sunday.
Whenever the country goes to the next general elections, the BJP will have three main planks – security, good governance and concern for the plight of farmers, said party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Symbolising the party’s “resolve for victory” was Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who sat in the national executive with film actress Hema Malini. He won Gujarat assembly playing the security card and the threat to the upwardly mobile Gujaratis from terrorists.
Modi is the BJP mascot for security.
L.K. Advani, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, is being projected as the epitome of good governance.
BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “For last 50 years, Advani-ji has represented a fine combination of good development and governance with impeccable personal integrity. He never allowed that image to be sullied. In 1995 when the Hawala charge was brought against him, he resolved not to enter parliament till he was acquitted.”
That would appear to leave the rather low-profile BJP president Rajnath Singh, out in the cold. But no, Rajnath has been adoipted the mascot for the party’s concern for the farmers. Singh has made the farmers’ issue his main plank and thereby the party’s election issue as well.
Recently, he went touring Vidarbha in Maharashtra, the region most affected by farmers’ suicides.
In his 10-page written speech, “the BJP president has demanded that the government immediately summon a special session of parliament to discuss the plight of the farmers in the country”, said Prasad from the venue of the meeting.
The BJP has already declared that “good governance, lack of security for the common man and the farmers’ plight” will be the three main planks on which the party proposes to go to the general elections anytime they are held.
“Till then these three BJP leaders will be touring far and wide all over the country to hold public meetings and rallies to promote their idea and project their respective images,” said a BJP leader.
He pointed out how Modi has already begun the campaign by holding a rally in Mumbai. Similarly, Rajnath Singh toured Vidarbha earlier this month to focus on the problems of farmers.
“This meet will also discuss and finalise Advani’s tour programme,” Rajnath had said.
In any case, “he starts his campaign with a rally in Rampur, (Uttar Pradesh) Feb 10”, pointed out BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who will accompany Advani.
Meanwhile, enthused by its recent victories in assembly elections of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the BJP has suggested simultaneous assembly polls to be held in 10 states this year.
“Our president Rajnath Singh has proposed that all parties and the Election Commission should explore options of holding assembly elections in states simultaneously,” Prasad told reporters.
“Since he (Rajnath Singh) took over as national president of the party, he has seen eight assembly elections in quick succession in different states. This year we are going to have polls in ten states,” the spokesman said.
The poll dates for three northeastern states of Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya have already been scheduled for February and March.
Other states to go to polls this year are Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Delhi and Mizoram. Of these, BJP is in power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh and is making all efforts to fight anti-incumbency. It is hopeful of coming to power in Delhi after being in wilderness for two terms.
“Since a perception has been built that we are coming to power, it suits the party if elections are held simultaneously at least in the remaining seven states, where polls are few months away, so that we can cash in on our recent victories,” said a BJP leader.