The BJP has drawn up an ambitious plan for the coming months in a bid to target potential women voters ahead of the big 2024 battle.
A major brainstorming session was held at the party headquarters in the national capital on Tuesday in the presence of general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, national general secretary Tarun Chugh, national vice-president Baijant Jay Panda, national women’s cell chief Vanathi Srinivas, and women chiefs of all states.
Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion, the saffron party wants to focus on women voters who are often undermined but have turned around elections like in Madhya Pradesh last year and Bihar in 2020.
Sources said there will be large-scale engagement with women self-help groups (SHG) and NGOs working on women’s causes. “We will reach out to all the possible potential beneficiaries across the country in the next couple of months to extend to them the benefits of Centre’s schemes,” a source told CNN-News18.
NGOs working for women’s causes and fighting for their rights will also be contacted. “Women have been at the forefront of the Modi government’s development model and that is the reason many central government schemes and programmes of the party revolve around them. There has been no discrimination in their empowerment, irrespective of the caste, creed or religion they come from,” another source said, detailing what was discussed in the meeting on Tuesday.
The party has two major ‘sammelans’ planned in the next couple of months to capitalise on women voters. One, which will focus on the north and central region, will be held in Madhya Pradesh. Keeping up with the focus of the party to reach out down South, the second ‘sammelan’ will take place in Andhra Pradesh’s capital Vijayawada. The dates for these two meetings will be chalked out soon.
“In these meetings, we will invite participation from women ranging from panchayat level to Parliament. We will talk about the women-centric achievements of the government and the vision PM Modi has for women in the years to come. We are expecting a gathering of at least 25,000 each,” the source added.
Another interesting aspect that the BJP wants to focus on is the safety and security of women, especially with the rise of solo and group travellers. More platforms will be utilised in the coming days to talk about the experiences they had and how that can inspire more women to travel without worrying about safety. The drive will also tell women about the impacts of the three criminal bills ensuring justice in a time-bound manner.
A special drive will also be held to talk about the long-term impact of the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill and how it is the political will of the government that brought more women into law-making.
Party insiders say the outreach, starting from the booth level, will have a positive impact in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP has formed a committee that will look into the outreach programmes for women and youth in particular, taking inspiration from the prime minister who has said the only caste in the country is GYAN (Garib, Yuva, Annadaata and Nari).
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