BJP may cut tickets of 25 to 30 lawmakers this time to kill anti incumbency trend ?
Though Uttarakhand does not hold paramount significance in terms of political instability to the central government having merely five Lok Sabha MPs with the BJP led NDA government in absolute majority at the centre but the BJP high command does not want to lose this state in the ensuing elections at any cost making it a prestigious issue especially because the prime minister Narendra Modi had already made five visits to historic Kedarnath temple and is expected to visit Uttarakhand in December during first week probably.
Losing any state amounts to degrading the image of the party in power at the centre, especially its chief leader and prime minister who had been given due credit in 2017 assembly elections for the party’s resounding victory getting about 57 seats out of total 70, a biggest record since Uttarakhand came into existence.
Moreover, being a Devbhoomi, land of abode of Gods the BJP’s defeat (in case, it happens) would be a huge setback to the party believing in Hinduism and driven by religious orientation.
According to the latest news and unconfirmed reports, the BJP high command has decided to kill the anti incumbency factor at the assembly levels and has come with with a plan to get rid of incapable, inefficient, controversial, disloyal and ineffective lawmakers who chances to win their respective assembly seats are dim, irrespective of their stature or seniority.
The party has also decided to get rid of the over aged lawmakers who have crossed seventy years of age to be replaced by candidates of their choice or young n energetic candidates not only popular in their areas but party loyals as well.
There are reports of the tickets of 25 to 30 lawmakers to be cut bringing in younger faces with reputed backgrounds having worked hard in their constituencies.
There are also reports of several sitting MLAs, even ministers changing their seats to better ones, this time, where their chances stand bright.
It may be recalled that during the past in Gujarat polls and Delhi municipal elections the BJP had changed almost all the candidates either giving tickets to the sitting lawmakers’ family members or new entrants during the tenure of Amit Shah as BJP national president.
The party had won in Delhi MCD gaining good majority n in Gujarat as well. This way, the party high command was able to reduce the anti incumbency trend at the decentralised level and won the elections.
This time the party has lost in various byelections in Himachal Pradesh and in several states compelling even the prime minister to withdraw the three contentious farm laws said the news analysts.
Even in Uttarakhand about ten to fifteen or even more seats are farmers dominated assembly constituencies at Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital and the BJP as well as Congress party are concentrating here to impress upon the voters to vote for them.
Recently the national chief of Bhartiya Janata Party J. P. Nadda had visited Udham Singh Nagar and held a high power meeting with the BJP’s Uttarakhand top brass called the BJP Core Group, attended by all office bearers, party state lawmakers, all MPs and council of ministers in which all the MLAs have been asked to revitalise their constituencies and establish regular contacts with the voter.
The party high command, it is believed, has finally made up its mind to change forty percent of its sitting MLAs to reduce anti incumbency factor as various surveys have indicated that the electorates are not happy with several sitting MLAs n the government on several counts, especially several lawmakers losing contact with the electorates.
On the other hand the main opposition party Congress and it’s leaders increasing activities, meetings, padyatras, and activity in social media has also bothered the ruling political dispensation of the state with reports arriving that all is not well fir the saffron party in the Himalayan state. There are also reports that several BJP MLAs fearing to lose their tickets are clandestinely hobnobbing with Congress to join the opposition party but weighing various pros and cons.