In its first national executive meeting since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) discussed strategies for poll-bound States, expanding its presence further at the booth and voters list level.

“The ruling party will form booth committees in all 10,40,000 polling booths till December 25, 2021. It will appoint panna pramukhs (voter list in-charges) in these booths by April 2022 and will institutionalise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ in every booth in the next six months,” said Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan while addressing the media.

Resolution

BJP also highlighted Covid-19 vaccinations and reliefs offered during the pandemic lockdown months, among the 18 issues discussed in the party’s political resolution. This resolution is significant since it spells out the party’s priorities ahead of the 2022 assembly elections that are to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Goa and Himachal Pradesh.

Speaking about the details of the political resolution, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “The Covid-19 vaccination has been done in a very methodical fashion and that has built India’s image abroad when there were calls within the country which only brought in an element of suspicion about the vaccine.”

Sitharaman said the use of the PM Cares funds to buy PPE Kits and taking care of orphans, free ration during the lockdown months, and One Nation – One Ration Card has also been highlighted.

While speaking on West Bengal, she said, “The violence in West Bengal has been condemned by the party in the resolution. Each party worker in the State will be supported by the BJP, and we will ensure that they get justice as per the due course of law through the judicial process. We will fight it out in the court.”

Addressing journalists earlier in the day, Pradhan said that of the 346 members in the national executive, the apex policy-making body of the BJP, 342 attended the meeting.

However, all National Executive members of the BJP were not physically present at the meeting in light of Covid-19 restrictions. According to the party, 124 senior leaders were to be present physically while all the Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled States, all the BJP State unit presidents and other senior leaders from the States who are part of the National Executive were to virtually attend the meeting from their respective State headquarters.