With an eye on 2019 polls, BharatiyaJanta Party (BJP) has decided to launch mass contact program in Kashmir. The program called ‘MahaSampark’ is meant to connect with the people at grass-root level across Kashmir to help the party “realise its strength”.
It is for the first time that the party would be undertaking a mass-contact drive on such a massive scale in the state where it has formed a government with the People’s Democratic Party.
“We have deployed short-time and full-time workers in Kashmir, modeled on RSS pracharaks or campaigners, the corps of volunteers who serve as a link between the people and the organization,” a top BJP leader told Greater Kashmir. “They will be highlighting the programs, policies of the party and welfare programs launched by the BJP-led government at the centre for the people at grass root level.”
The top BJP leader said the party believes awareness at grass-root level will help the party gain more strength in Kashmir.
“In view of the 2019 parliamentary elections, we plan to increase the numbers in Jammu as well as in Kashmir,” the leader said. “In fact our plan is to eventually have at least one full-time vistarak in each of the 87 assembly constituencies of the state in the run up to the 2020 assembly elections.”
BJP had won 25 assembly seats in 2014 Assembly elections – all of them from Jammu region. But it drew a blank in Kashmir.
The leader said that during the past year, the party has recruited hundreds of booth level workers in Kashmir. “Our party general secretary addressed booth level conventions almost at all places in Kashmir,” he said adding that they have inducted many people even at booth level. “The mass-contact program will also help the party realize its strength in the state and at the same time also help the party workers to convey their grievances to their seniors.”