BJP has six wings and each wing will select two spokespersons from each state who will eventually tackle questions and charges levelled against party.
New Delhi: Political parties have known for a while that an articulate and aggressive spokesperson can go a long way in pushing the line of the party and countering rivals in these days of 24×7 media spotlight.
And the ruling BJP has decided to expand the reach of its vocal messengers beyond the national capital and deploy trained spokespersons in each state to counter any negative publicity ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
The party, sources said, has asked its various morchas (wings) to shortlist at least two candidates from each state to speak on crucial matters during elections or whenever the party is attacked by the opposition over specific issues.
As reported by ThePrint earlier, the BJP-led NDA government has separately also decided to set up a ‘national command centre’ to monitor media reports across the country as part of its 2019 poll strategy.
Now, the BJP hopes that these specialised spokespersons will be able address specific issues or counter allegations against the Modi government before they snowball into a major controversy.
The BJP has six wings — Yuva Morcha, OBC Morcha, SC Morcha, ST Morcha, Mahila Morcha and Kisan Morcha — and each of them is likely to select at least 50 spokespersons.
The party will conduct morcha-wise training programmes for these spokespersons before they are deployed in the states.
As of now, each state has a team of spokespersons led by the media in-charge. But there are no dedicated spokespersons in morchas.
“There was an issue of OBC and Patidars during the Gujarat elections. Had there been dedicated spokespersons, we could have countered the opposition more effectively,” said a BJP source.
“So, every state should be ready to tackle such critical matters before they go out of hand and become a major controversy,” added the source.
Rather than an upper caste speaking on an OBC issue, it would be more effective if an OBC leader comes out in the party’s defence, the BJP source said.
BJP insiders say this is nothing but micromanagement, which will not only help the party win the war of perception before the 2019 general election but also come in handy for the state units. States such as Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls this year.
“The party would not like to leave the states unattended when it comes to media strategy,” the BJP source said. “More states and seats would mean more grip over Rajya Sabha, which is the next crucial test for the BJP besides general election.”