InDepth | BJP To Focus On Grassroots Outreach, Youth Connect As It Sharpens Poll Strategy

Necessity is the mother of invention. It seems that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) kept this age-old proverb in mind while formulating its future strategy.

After the Jantar Mantar protests, which led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and mounting pressure from Congress-led opposition parties and regional parties in the INDIA bloc, the BJP found itself on the back foot. On top of that, the party was unable to retain the Bankipur constituency in Bihar, which had been represented by BJP president Nitin Nabin.

It needed to invent a new strategy before the upcoming electoral battle—around 20 states are going to the polls ahead of the crucial 2029 Lok Sabha elections. With the opposition camp gearing up, the BJP decided to strengthen its regional outreach. In a first, the BJP-National Democratic Alliance combine has formed regional NDA units in states and started holding meetings with its alliance partners. It wants to ensure that there is complete understanding between different NDA partners in the run-up to the elections because any friction would prove to be detrimental.

The three states where the party has formed state units are Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, home to the maximum number of alliance partners. The chief ministers of these states have already held at least one coordination meeting with all the senior leaders of the NDA.

Senior party leaders said that the coordination committee meetings have a three-pronged agenda—to discuss the problems within the NDA, formulate strategies to reach out to core vote banks like first-time voters, Gen Z and women and gather feedback on schemes floated by the government.

“The chief ministers holding coordination meetings with NDA partners is an important step. It will enable coordination between different alliance partners and strengthen the NDA,” Prem Kumar, a senior BJP leader from Bihar and the Speaker of the Bihar assembly, says.

These meetings are a break from the past. Earlier, meetings with NDA partners used to happen only at the national level. They were scheduled during the election season and were limited to discussing issues related to seat distribution and booth management. Senior BJP leaders have decided that these meetings will now be held regularly for greater coordination among partners and also to iron out any differences. All major administrative and political decisions will be first discussed by the alliance partners before they are implemented, they add.

Also important is the fact that Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh have been selected for the beginning of the regional outreach process—together, these three states hold 168 Lok Sabha seats—30 per cent of the total Lok Sabha constituencies.

Even though Bihar and Maharashtra are not heading to the polls immediately, with the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls due by March 2027, the party is not taking any chances. The state, after all, could decide the fate of the NDA at the national level.

Eye on Uttar Pradesh

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has started holding meetings with the regional alliance partners to understand their demands. In addition, Nabin, the BJP chief, has personally started speaking to the partners to understand seat assessments before the polls. In the run-up to the elections, the NDA partners are demanding more seats from the BJP, which is trying to keep its house intact against the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance.

“There have been two meetings so far. The first one was held by the BJP chief and the second by the chief minister. Although seat-sharing talks have not started, the BJP leadership wants to assess the demands of regional partners,” says a senior BJP leader from Lucknow.

The first meeting was held between the chief minister and Union minister Jayant Chaudhary, the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). “We often get asked whether there are coordination issues within the NDA. Let me tell you that the NDA is preparing to contest all 403 seats and there is complete unanimity on seat sharing. The RLD is growing not just in western UP but also in the central and eastern regions. We will strengthen the NDA,” Trilok Tyagi, national general secretary (organisation) of the RLD, says, adding that the focus of these meetings is also to reach out to the young voters.

Nabin has also held meetings with the RLD chief as well as with Union minister Anupriya Patel of the Apna Dal (Soneylal) and smaller regional parties like the Nishad Party.

The RSS Push

While the BJP and the NDA are streamlining their organisational issues before the crucial polls, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, is also looking for better coordination among its affiliated organisations, a total of 40, including the BJP. The move is likely to benefit the party. Senior RSS leaders say in the coming days, the organisation will undergo a complete restructuring. This is the first time since the foundation of the RSS 100 years ago that the organisation is undergoing this process.

“Each prant [zone] will be divided into two sambhags [sectors]. We have realised that it is easier to manage smaller sectors and also bring people from different organisations together,” says a senior RSS leader.

At present, the RSS has divided the country into 46 zones. Now, each zone will be divided into two sectors. After the completion of the restructuring process, the entire country will be divided into 92 sectors and one pracharak or a full-time worker of the RSS will be deputed to each of the 89 sectors to coordinate between the RSS, the BJP and other affiliated organisations.

“There will be complete symmetry between administrative divisions of India and 89 RSS divisions. Right now, there are over 110 administrative divisions in India, and each division is a cluster of districts. Similarly, the RSS will have 89 divisions, which will be similar to the administrative divisions in the country,” says Dilip Deodhar, a Nagpur-based analyst on issues related to the RSS. The restructuring process will be completed by March 2027.

Interestingly, the single biggest beneficiary of this restructuring will be the BJP. The much-needed coordination between the BJP, NDA allies and the RSS is necessary before the 2029 Lok Sabha polls—the ruling alliance has to contest at least 12 assembly elections and the BJP-NDA has to retain power in at least eight states.

Changes in Campaign Strategy

After the recent success in Delhi and West Bengal, where the BJP came to power after a long time, the BJP and the RSS have decided to replicate the strategy in other states.

The first step is to integrate the strength of the alliance partners. It has been decided that the BJP would include its regional partners in its booth-level committees.

“Normally, there are joint campaigns for public meetings and roadshows but little coordination at the booth level. We are working to ensure there is coordination between NDA partners at the booth level as well for effective management,” says a senior BJP leader. Senior party leaders add that the BJP-NDA combine is also trying to hold community-based outreach in all assembly constituencies and has categorised voters on the basis of age, gender and economic strata.

Commenting on the BJP’s new strategy, political analyst Sanjay Kumar says: “Though under pressure from opposition parties, the BJP is known to start preparing early. By setting up coordination committees and ensuring better booth management, the BJP is setting its eyes on the 2029 polls. In the meantime, it wants to keep its alliance partners happy.”

Gyan Verma is associate Editor, Outlook