BJP's Mission 2019: Party aims for 360-plus seats next time
Yesterday in Delhi, 17 opposition parties met and launched a scathing attack on the BJP. Meanwhile, in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress swept seven civic bodies in recent elections. Even as these happened, BJP chief Amit Shah counseled party leaders on how to take the party's current MP toll from 281 to 360-plus in 2019. Intense discussions and powerpoint presentations ruled the three-hour session.
Shah's grand plans for 2019
Shah's been busy. The BJP chief has been visiting different states (WB, Gujarat, Karnataka) to assess the party's standing and how to increase its winning-chances in 2019. Through this, he is crafting a Vistarak Yojna - a well-planned reach-out strategy to increase the BJP's penetration.
So what happened at the session?
At the August 17 session, Shah discussed his finding on voter perception in different states and satisfaction over BJP's performance. A presentation on fighting anti-incumbency in states like MP, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh was included. Shah guided leaders on how to increase the tally from 281 to over 360. Many senior leaders including Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Ravi Shankar Prasad and JP Nadda were present.
What makes Shah the 'Man with the Midas touch'
Since he became party chief, Shah has brought to BJP some much-needed magic. There were impressive victories right after he took over. He has successfully built an elaborate grassroots strategy customized according to the states' needs. Everywhere, progress is propagated and craftily connected to Modi. In 2014, it was after 30 years that a single party crossed the halfway mark: BJP won 282 seats.
