Lucknow, Feb 13 (IANS) After a near washout in the Delhi election, alarm bells are ringing in the BJP unit in Uttar Pradesh which has aborted for now plans to rope in leaders from other parties.
Realizing that the Delhi rout could be a result of overlooking loyalists and long-time veterans, the state unit has decided to halt its overzealous drive to rope in leaders from other parties. The Bharatiya Janata Party has recruited over the past one month alone more than a dozen big and small leaders as well as spouses from other parties.
The state unit is also awaiting instructions from the central leadership on the controversial 'ghar wapasi' (homecoming) programme that sought to make Muslims to embrace Hinduism.
Laxmikant Bajpayi, the BJP state president, has admitted the unease among party cadres and has vowed not to bring in leaders from other parties at the cost of its own activists, informed sources told IANS.
Bajpayi is learnt to have ordered his colleagues to stop all new proposed admissions to the party.
Old-timers say that in a bid to embrace technology and tools like social networking, largely to look like a party of youth and with a 21st century outlook, the party had rubbed its old-time cadres the wrong way.
"The party needs to understand that there has to be a balance between technology and reality," said a senior BJP leader from Kanpur.
"You can make members through SMS but not establish connect or dialogue with people through SMS. The party needs to take stock of the situation," he added.
State BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak admits to the need for course correction post Delhi and said the party would do an internal assessment of the election results in the capital and take corrective measures.
"We will do whatever it takes to regain the confidence of the people," one party leader told IANS after voters in Delhi delivered a humiliating blow to the BJP, giving it just three of the 70 assembly seats.
What, however, is more worrying is that in a state where the "Modi Wave" wiped out all other parties just nine months back, it is now faced with electoral reverses.
In all the electoral contests after the Lok Sabha polls in May 2014, the BJP has taken a hit in Uttar Pradesh.
It lost the by-elections, the Cantonment Board polls and the Rajya Sabha polls too.
The Delhi outcome is considered a grave disaster since the national capital is home to some three million people from eastern Uttar Pradesh known as Poorvanchalis.
Constituting about 28 percent of the electorate in Delhi, the Poorvanchal voters deserted the BJP en masse and voted for the Aam Aadmi Party, which ended up with a staggering 67 of the 70 assembly seats.
This despite the fact that Bhojpuri actor and singer Manoj Tiwari is a BJP MP from Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also an MP from eastern Uttar Pradesh, a region the BJP swept barring Azamgarh, which elected Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
A senior BJP MP, not wishing to be named, told IANS that the process of consultation with cadres and state leaders had almost been done away with in the Amit Shah-led BJP.
"In such situations, leaders with no real grassroots have taken over decision-making, leaving the loyalists high and dry," he said.
Even a union minister from Uttar Pradesh admits of "immense shortcomings" in ticket distribution, saying when state unit chiefs are denied ticket, the party's morale was bound to take a hit.
With Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, smarting from the Lok Sabha rout, again rooting for development, the BJP cannot afford to be complacent vis-a-vis Uttar Pradesh, which sent a record 71 BJP MPs to the Lok Sabha.
Ashes: Controversy between Smith and Bairstow did not stop, then Kangaroo batsman became a victim of criticism from the English crowd
Steve Smith's controversial run-out decision in Ashes 2023: In Ashes 2023, another decision of the third umpire became a topic of discussion. Steve Smith narrowly escaped a run-out on the second day
Kohli overtakes Sachin-Dravid and Ganguly: Virat became the highest run-scorer in the opposition teams' home, Shardul also played a record innings
Africa won the first ODI between India and South Africa by 31 runs. In the match, there was a target of 297 runs in front of Team India, chasing which the team could only score 265/8 and lost the
Coronavirus in India: The speed of corona is not stopping in the country, 100 percent of patients increased in four days
The speed of Corona in the country seems to be uncontrollable. There has been a 100 percent increase in new cases of corona in the last four days. The Ministry of Health told that the figure of new
Sachin Tendulkar played street cricket in the valleys of Kashmir, everyone likes this captivating video.
Indian team's great batsman Sachin Tendulkar is on his first visit to Kashmir. Tendulkar enjoyed street cricket with the locals amidst the valleys of Gulmarg. Sachin Tendulkar, considered the 'Lord of
Kohli Vs Pant in IPL 2021 today: AB de Villiers will have to return to form before the playoff, Delhi would like to end the last league match with a win
IPL 2021 has come to its last stop. The last two matches of the league will be played today. The match will be between Hyderabad and Mumbai. There will be a clash between Bangalore and Delhi. On
US Capitol Riot: Trump Wanted To Change Election Result From Capitol Hills Riots? Congress committee made many claims in the hearing
Former US President Donald Trump seems to be implicated in the riots that took place on January 6 last year on Capitol Hill, USA. In the first hearing of the US Congressional Committee, the U.S. by
Anurag Thakur's taunt on changing the seat of Swami Prasad Maurya, who changed the party, said - the fear of losing is haunting
Union Minister Anurag Thakur has targeted the change of the seat of Swami Prasad Maurya, who left the Bharatiya Janata Party and joined the SP. Anurag Thakur has said that Swami Prasad Maurya (SP MLA)
India In UN: 'India fought terrorism with zero tolerance, the fight will continue'- Ruchira Kamboj
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) Ruchira Kamboj said on Wednesday that as the chairperson of the Anti-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC),
Putin's threat to the US: Said- We have the world's most dangerous nuclear weapons, yet will not use first
Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly threatened America without naming it. Putin said – no one should be under the misconception that Russia is behind. We have the world's most
These 15 stocks, including Adani, made money, investors will jump on hearing profits
The domestic stock markets have seen a significant jump so far from the March low of last year. The domestic stock market data shows that investors who have maintained confidence in the market and
