Lok Sabha elections: BJP poll panel convenes, prioritizing weaker seats
The central election committee of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had its first meeting in the nation’s capital on Thursday, setting the stage for the Lok Sabha elections. The 18th General Election is scheduled to be declared in March.
In the first round of deliberations, the committee is expected to focus on the weakest 161 parliamentary parts, which are rated as D on a scale of A, B, C, and D, depending on how tough they are.
These are the seats that the party either failed to win or won by smaller percentages than anticipated. The idea is to give the candidates enough time for outreach and launch the campaigns of top leaders in order to target the victory goal of 370+ segments for the BJP and 400+ for the NDA. According to sources, the BJP may declare candidates in tougher segments ahead of others where it was more certain of victory. “Eastern and southern India are home to several of these vulnerable seats. The BJP prevailed in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh elections despite obstacles thanks to this tactic, a source claimed.
Out of the 161 weaker seats, 100 are located in only five southern states: Tamil Nadu (39), Andhra Pradesh (25), Kerala (20), Telangana (13), and Karnataka (3). The BJP now controls 29 of the 129 seats available in the five southern states (25 of the 28 in Karnataka, 4 of the 17 in Telangana, and 0 in the other three). Thirteen in Odisha and twenty-five in Bengal comprise the remaining vulnerable seats.
In an attempt to secure a rerun, the party selected these for ministerial outreach, albeit this may prove difficult given anti-incumbency sentiment and a narrow winning margin in 2019. For example, Rajasthan also has three D category seats: Dausa, Karauli Dholpur (SC), and Nagaur. Last time, the BJP ally RLP had won in Nagaur. According to a source, “the party won with a margin of less than one lakh votes in the three D category seats in Rajasthan, as opposed to some seats where we won by over six lakh votes also.”
The BJP has chosen not to run sitting MLAs in Rajasthan, including Vasundhara Raje, Kirori Lal Meena, Rajyavardhan Rathore, and deputy chief minister Diya Kumari. According to a source, “Vasundhara Raje’s son is likely to get the ticket.”
Additionally, according to information obtained by The Tribune, Bhupender Yadav is being considered for two Legislative Seats: Bhiwani-Mahendragarh in Haryana and Alwar in Rajasthan.
Is Bhupender Yadav from Maharashtra’s Bhiwani?
Bhupender Yadav, the environment minister, is running for two seats: Alwar in Rajasthan and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh in Haryana
It is doubtful that incumbent MLAs in Rajasthan like Diya Kumari and Vasundhara Raje would run in the local elections.
The majority of marginal seats in South and East India, where the party either lost or won by a narrow margin, are probably going to be resolved first.
