The BJP's take of 70 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 seats in 2014 general elections is attributed by his party to Amit Shah's insistence on getting the basics right (File Photo)
Highlights
- Uttar Pradesh votes next year
- BJP chief Amit Shah orders overhaul of lethargic party culture
- Use digital cards to mark attendance, work online: Amit Shah
The different offices of the BJP across Uttar Pradesh are being turbo-charged, courtesy party president Amit Shah.
Years of not being a formative influence in India's most-populous state have fostered a soporific work culture at party offices. In February, Mr Shah laid the foundation stone for a new state headquarter; he was irked by the paan-stained walls as well as the ho-hum atmosphere within.
Do-over time. The BJP plans to provide attendance cards with radio-frequency chips to leaders and workers in Lucknow. Swipe in to register attendance. Party bosses to get real time data on how early - and how long - a leader spent at the office just opposite the state assembly.
The result in Uttar Pradesh, which votes next year, will be read as the clearest omen of the national election in 2019.
A senior BJP leader who witnessed the party's surge under Kalyan Singh as Chief Minister, and its wane when Rajnath Singh was head of the government in 2001, told NDTV, "We have been out of power for almost 15 years. Almost every leader is used to coming to the party office (only) when forced to. Going back home for lunch and an afternoon siesta is a must. Now, we are being asked to change."
Indeed. The new electronic cards which are tagged with a unique number will also allow party workers easy- and frequent - online access to libraries, policies and documents on important party and union government policies.
Online reports will also have to be submitted by senior leaders with details of the meets and discussions organized by them. These will be reviewed by central leaders and workers at the grassroots level.
The online matrix will be operational by July. In phase 1, nearly 1,800 office bearers at the division (mandal) levels will go online; they'll be joined in the next phase by nearly 1.5 lakh workers from the state headquarters to those assigned to supervise or man booths during voting.
The BJP chief's plans are shaped by his own early and rough experience. In 2013, he was sent to manage Uttar Pradesh for then presumptive Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "He found leaders would flock to party offices only when a central leader would be visiting. He hated the feet-touching culture practiced by leaders who had virtually no connect with UP voters. This exercise shows he remembers his early days here," said a BJP leader to NDTV.
The BJP's smashing take of 70 of Uttar Pradesh's 80 seats in 2014 is attributed by his party to his insistence on getting the basics right. When he was assigned the state, the list of BJP workers at booth level was termite-ridden. It included those who were related to leaders, had never worked on the ground, and some who weren't alive. A complete overhaul was quickly conducted.
Now, over one lakh workers have been added to the records and their credentials and strengths are being scrutinized as the strongest link to the actual voter.