BJP to use PM’s Aligarh event as launch pad for poll campaign

LUCKNOW: Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of a state university in the name of Jat icon Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh in Aligarh and reviewed the progress of the defence corridor on Tuesday, the BJP state brass was busy drafting a detailed blueprint for its campaign to project its development-oriented face on the completion of four-and-a-half years of rule in Uttar Pradesh on September 19.
A top government official told TOI that data of development work, employment generation and measures taken on the law and order front are being centrally compiled. “It will also be shared with public representatives,” the official said.
In fact, political analysts viewed PM Modi’s event in Aligarh as launch of BJP’s pre-election campaign from the restive west UP, which is witnessing agitation by farmers, mainly Jats of the region.
The Aligarh node of defence corridor is projected to get investment of around Rs 1,250 crore and would boost economic activity in the region besides generating employment for 6,700 people.
BJP’s organisational machinery, meanwhile, has rolled up its sleeves for holding ‘chaupals’ in all 27,700 ‘Shakti Kendras’ (covering five to six polling booths) across the state on September 19 to highlight the achievements of the Yogi Adityanath government.
From September 20, the party MLAs will hit the ground in their respective constituencies for connecting with voters and informing them about the government’s feats, development and welfare schemes. The party functionaries will also distribute specially-prepared leaflets and campaign material during their door-to-door campaign from September 26.
Experts said CM Yogi has already switched to campaign mode and inaugurated, laid the foundation of new projects in Sant Kabir Nagar and Kushinagar districts of east UP and will be further touring the state extensively.
They added that BJP is in no mood to lie low and allow the Opposition to firm up in the run up to UP assembly elections.
BJP is keen to counter opposition’s charges about the government having misplaced priorities and being unable to tackle Covid pandemic besides failing to implement the public welfare measures promised in its ‘Sankalp Patra’ of 2017, they said.