BJP looks to narrow urban-rural divide in Gujarat head of Assembly polls

With the Gujarat Assembly elections nearing, the ruling BJP has started its exercise to zero in on the final list of candidates for 182 Assembly seats, as well as try to bridge the urban-rural divide.

Facing stiff competition from the Congress and Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, the state's ruling party has intensified its campaigning in the state, by reaching out to small focus groups, hosting Tehsil-specific rallies, along with aggressive social media, as stated in an Economic Times report.

The ruling BJP has tested the waters in its recently held "Gaurav Yatra" where scores of union ministers and senior BJP leaders campaigned in the state aiming at public outreach. The yatra has given a mixed signal to the party's high command as the leaders barely managed to draw large crowds.

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Union home minister Amit Shah held marathon meetings with party leaders earlier this week to discuss the probable candidates.

In order to counter the likes of Congress and AAP, the BJP's special focus this time would be to narrow the rural-urban divide. In the last Assembly polls held in 2017, the saffron party gathered almost half of its seats from just four cities- Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. Apart from the earlier mentioned tactics, they are putting in more work in the Saurashtra region, using catchy songs and slogans, along with eye-catching wall paintings.

The party is also looking to refine its election strategy, by gathering feedbacks, and following Shah's meeting, a committee of 252 'nirikshaks' or invigilators, was formed as well.

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"Teams of two men and one woman are being sent to districts to make a list of prospective candidates in every seat, listen to them, and submit their findings to the state parliamentary board, before the central board takes a call on the final list," a party functionary told the publication.

As the election approaches, the election campaign of BJP has already hit the ground with prime minister Narendra Modi leading it from the front. He has visited his home state twice this month and is expected to arrive on October 31. The BJP's campaign has reminiscence of past elections fought around "Gujarati pride (Gujarati asmita)", communal overtones and development.

(With DHNS inputs)