Lucknow: The incidents of paper leaks, recruitment controversies and alleged irregularities in SIR of electoral rolls have spurred BJP to take its political battle to college campuses to win over Gen-Z and blunt the opposition’s growing influence among the youth ahead of UP elections.
BJP also plans to invoke the Emergency (1975) and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to portray Congress and its allies questionable record on democratic values.
UP BJYM president Rohit Mishra told TOI that the conventions would sensitise young voters about the “undemocratic” functioning of previous govts and the changes brought about by Yogu govt. They also need to understand the difference between the governance models of the two govts,” Mishra said. “Young people need to be reminded of the lathicharge during the previous SP govt when they took to the streets demanding their share of govt jobs.
Party sources said the campus interactions would seek to establish that the opposition was deliberately creating confusion over electoral reforms and attempting to undermine the credibility of democratic institutions. Sources said controversies surrounding UGC regulations and reservation-related issues have emerged as sensitive subjects among sections of the students. BJP also hopes to use the conventions to build a counter-narrative around the Emergency, electoral integrity and the functioning of constitutional institutions. The party wants its youth leaders to engage directly with students, gauge their concerns and address grievances before these develop into wider political discontent. Political observers feel that BJP’s decision to focus on educational institutions is significant given the opposition’s attempts to make unemployment, alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and reservation central to its political campaign. Samajwadi Party, in particular, has been seeking to mobilise young voters around these issues, while Congress has attempted to broaden the debate by questioning the credibility of electoral processes.
“Youth supporters of the BJP are most active in different areas including spreading awareness about SIR,” said UP BJP spokesperson Priyank Pandey. The initiative is being viewed as an extension of BJP’s increasingly combative political strategy following Union home minister Amit Shah ’s recent offensive against Congress and other opposition parties. Having sought to counter the Congress-led ‘vote chori’ campaign by defending electoral reforms and the SIR exercise, BJP is now looking to take that argument directly to young voters rather than leave the political narrative to be shaped by its opponents.