Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit at Triprayar Sree Ramaswamy Temple, in Thrissur district, Kerala.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The BJP is expanding the canvas of its best-selling combination of cultural nationalism and beneficiary bonanza to seek a third term in office by running two parallel mass outreach campaigns.
Tapping on the recall value of the Ram temple movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the chief campaigner for the party, has gone beyond the Vindhyas to pitch his tent in places that feature in Ramayana.
During the last fortnight, he has offered prayers at Guruvayur and Thriprayar Shree Ramaswami temples in Kerala; Lepakshi temple in Andhra Pradesh; and Shree Kala Ram Mandir situated on the banks of the Godavari in Nashik. All these temples have an association with Ramayana. Lepakshi, for instance, is the place where Jatayu, the mythical bird falls after being injured by Ravana.
His final stop in the weekend before the Monday consecration is Arichal Munai, said to be the place from where the Ram Setu was built. He will continue his inclusive mode by listening to the recital of Kamba Ramayana in Tamil.
Hard selling schemes
Running concomitantly, is the government’s Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, a nationwide campaign to reconnect with the existing beneficiaries; and expand the outreach of flagship welfare schemes to achieve saturation levels.
The BJP’s focus is on Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh, where it picked up the least number of seats in the last two Lok Sabha polls. In Maharashtra this time, the party is up against a united opposition.
Thus scope and space to expand down south are immense. North of Vindhyas, shored up by RSS’s vast network, the social and cultural connection to the Ram temple movement is proven. But this is also precisely the region where the BJP had peaked in terms of seat share.
The BJP is not depending solely on the Ram temple as its rallying point. It is trying to build the narrative of “benefits of its schemes” to capture the imagination of voters.
Addressing a press conference after the 2019 campaign, Modi had said the last-mile delivery was one of the key achievements of his first term in office.
Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, which aims to reach out to the existing and new beneficiaries of the government’s flagship welfare schemes like Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas, and Ujjwala, aims to maximise the ‘labharthi’ net.
Under the programme, the government claims to have reached more than 15 crore people in 2.21 lakh Gram Panchayats and 9,541 urban locations in the last two months. Modi has been regularly interacting with the beneficiaries to share insights into the program.
In 2019, Modi started his campaign from Meerut, the cradle of the 1857 Revolt. His 142nd and last meeting was held in Khargone in Madhya Pradesh, the birthplace of Tribal leader Bhima Nayak executed by the British.
The BJP is not leaving anything to chance. As in the last two elections, Modi’s campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls has been planned to the minutest details.