RSS steps in to help BJP in Maharashtra after Lok Sabha 2024 poll debacle

Mumbai In the backdrop of the poor performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, its ideological fountainhead Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has swung into action to help the party in the upcoming assembly polls. The RSS has mobilised its cadre in each of the assembly constituencies in the state with a special emphasis on Vidarbha, where it has its headquarters.
After the meeting between BJP and RSS leaders last month in Delhi, the latter appointed its Sah Sarkaryawah or joint general secretary Atul Limaye for better coordination between the two. Following this, division-level meetings between BJP and RSS leaders were held in Western Maharashtra, Marathwada and North Maharashtra recently. Similar meetings for the remaining divisions are expected to be held in the next couple of weeks.
“During the joint meeting of Marathwada and north Maharashtra last week, the RSS was more aggressive than ever before. The Sangh was not active in the Lok Sabha election, and it resulted in the BJP paying a heavy price. After BJP took corrective steps by roping in more party loyalists in key positions in the last three months, the RSS has come forward to coordinate with the party. It has galvanised its cadre, who attract the people to vote in the interest of Hindutva and nationalism,” said a senior BJP minister, requesting anonymity. He believes that the robust network of RSS will spin magic in the assembly polls as the BJP’s system of booth pramukh, panna pramukh, yuva warriors, booth committees failed to perform in Lok Sabha polls.
Another party officer bearer said that RSS would focus mainly in the regions where it has a stronghold. He said that the RSS has activated its cadre in Vidarbha, where it has its headquarters and enjoys a robust network of cadre. “Union minister Nitin Gadkari has been given a key responsibility of the campaign and he has been asked to extensively campaign for the Assembly polls. He will play a key role in decision making, along with other veteran leaders. This would help the party to inculcate trust among RSS old-timers and party workers, who were disgruntled for being sidelined over the last few years,” the leader said.
The leader said that RSS never gets involved in political activities or shares party dais, but appeals to voters on nationalist issues. “The Sangh would not appeal to vote for BJP, but convince people to vote for development, Hindutva and in the wider interest of nationalism. This means they cultivate the ground for the party in elections. The organisation remaining dormant during LS polls has cost us dear,” he added.
Regarding RSS support, Shrikant Bharatiya, BJP general secretary and the state unit’s election in-charge for LS polls, said, “There has always been the support and coordination from the RSS during the election. It is not happening for the first time.”
The BJP, after appointing Raosaheb Danve as its chief election coordinator last week, has appointed various committees which have senior leaders like Nitin Gadkari, Pankaja Munde, Sudhir Mungantiwar and Chandrakant Patil, who represent various communities and regions. The step is believed to have been taken to woo voters from all communities and project a collective leadership without depending on a single face. The decision to rope in senior party leaders in key responsibilities was taken by the central leadership in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha results and the party’s poor performance in Marathwada. This is also seen as a snub for deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, under whose leadership the BJP fought all the elections in the state since 2014.
Appointment of Gadkari and other senior leaders to lead the party campaign is seen as a major corrective step taken by the party. Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekar Bawankule said, “Gadkari has always been our topmost leader in the state and at the national level. He campaigned for the party in the Lok Sabha election for 15 days and will campaign for one month in the Assembly polls. We have given responsibilities to 21 senior leaders including Raosaheb Danve, Pankaja Munde, Sudhir Mungantiwar and will ensure that the mechanism at booth level is strengthened, by taking a lesson from LS poll results.”