PM Modi, Amit Shah's Key Roles As BJP Readies 3-Part Plan For UP Polls

The BJP has begun mapping out its Uttar Pradesh assembly election campaign, and each of its top three leaders has been handed a separate battlefield. Sources told NDTV that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief Nitin Nabin will run a coordinated push across the state through November and December.

According to sources, the party has split the campaign into three levels. PM Modi is expected to address large regional rallies that cover every commissionerate in Uttar Pradesh.

Home Minister Shah will concentrate on the districts, where he is likely to hold targeted rallies and keep a close watch on organisational micro management. Nitin Nabin, sources said, will take charge at the assembly constituency level, with frequent tours and sustained contact with voters.

The thinking behind the plan is straightforward, sources said. The big rallies will set the tone for the campaign, while the steady work in districts and constituencies will make sure the message actually reaches people in every part of the state. For Uttar Pradesh, a key Hindi heartland state, the party appears keen to leave no region untouched.

Party cells to be put to work

Alongside the campaign led by its senior leaders, the BJP is also getting its organisational cells ready. Sources told NDTV that the party wants these cells to reach different sections of society and various occupational groups across Uttar Pradesh. The focus, they said, will be on taking the party's outreach beyond big rallies and into local networks, where communities and workers can be engaged directly.

The exercise will be led by VD Sharma, former Madhya Pradesh BJP chief and national convenor of the party's Prakoshth-Sankul Cell. Sources said the cells are expected to play a key role in the party's election micro management and in understanding what local communities are worried about.

Lucknow meeting on November 2

A large meeting of office bearers from all the cells has been called at the BJP headquarters in Lucknow on Monday. VD Sharma and Uttar Pradesh BJP organisation general secretary Dharampal are expected to lay out the roadmap for election management and grassroots engagement before the gathering.

The meeting comes soon after Shah's recent visits to the state and the party's mega state executive committee meeting. Sources said the cells are expected to help the party identify local concerns and stay in regular touch with different sections of society as the campaign gathers pace.

The larger plan, according to sources, is to combine the top leadership's high profile campaign with a more intensive organisational push on the ground. 

In practical terms, that means pairing big rallies with the slow, patient work of building contact at the local level, all through November and December, as the party prepares for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.