New Delhi: BJP has formulated a plan called ‘Mission 2024’ for next year’s Lok Sabha elections. In this, Muslim votes are targeted.
In 2014, BJP came to power by putting forward Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate. The Modi wave that continued in the 2019 elections also got additional seats. BJP has formulated a strategy to form the government for the third time under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in 2024, which is getting more seats than this. BJP has decided to capture the Muslim votes like never before in this project called ‘Mission 2024’.
For the first time, the BJP made an announcement in its Hyderabad executive meeting to woo Muslims in the Lok Sabha polls. Prime Minister Modi reiterated this in a meeting held in Delhi on January 16 and 17. According to BJP’s plan, the party executives are going to meet Muslims in all areas where Muslims live. Their first duty was to defeat the anti-Muslim sentiment built on the BJP by the then opposition parties.
For this, BJP officials are going to visit Muslims across the country and highlight the welfare schemes of the central government. Those Muslims who cannot get government welfare assistance are going to get it in advance.
In Muslim-majority UP, the economically weaker, the backward, and the Basmantha, a Muslim artisan community, are given more importance. Among them, processions such as friendship yatra and scooty yatra are also being held.
A BJP minority wing source told ‘Hindu Tamil Vektik’ daily, “BJP’s minority wing is now stronger like other parties. About 60 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country have been identified and entrusted to us. In this list, U.P. and West Bengal has 13 constituencies each. There are 6 constituencies each in Kerala and Assam, 6 in Jammu and Kashmir, 4 in Bihar and 3 in Madhya Pradesh. 2 constituencies each in Tamil Nadu and Haryana, 1 each in Maharashtra and Lakshadweep. From now on, we can expect Muslim candidates from the BJP,” they said.
With such moves by the BJP, it is considered difficult for Muslims to cast their votes immediately. Because the BJP does not give Muslims a chance to contest elections who only get their votes. This situation has continued in most states of India for many years during elections to the Legislative Assembly and Lok Sabha. This is because the BJP feels that it cannot win in many constituencies where Muslim votes are high.
BJP-ruled UP has a large Muslim population. However, the only Muslim minister there, Dhanish Azad Ansari, has been elected as an MLC and not as an MLA. So BJP wants to increase the overall vote percentage even if it does not win in Muslim constituencies.
