Tripura BJP leaders say they are going to fight this election in the name of Modi and hence poll results in the PM’s home state will assume significance.
New Delhi: BJP leaders in the poll-bound Tripura are anxiously awaiting the Gujarat poll verdict, due to be announced Monday, as they believe it will have a direct impact on the cadre in their state.
This is for the first time in two decades that the BJP will contest in all the 60 seats in the Left-ruled state where assembly election is due early next year.
In the 2013 assembly polls, the party fielded 50 candidates, out of which 49 lost their security deposits.
Local leaders say they are going to fight this election in the name of Modi and hence poll results in the PM’s home state will assume significance.
“Our fight was limited to 15-odd seats in the past. We never won a seat in Tripura due to absence of cadre. The BJP has also failed to bring potential winners into its fold all these years,” a party leader told ThePrint.
“Now, the situation has changed. Modiji has a fan base here. People want change and we need to address their aspirations,” added the leader.
According to party functionaries, Modi and BJP president Amit Shah are set to take charge of the party’s strategy in the state, which has been a Left stronghold for two decades.
Modi is expected to officially launch the party’s campaign in this northeastern state in mid-January.
The state BJP unit is following all exit polls on Gujarat and gathering inputs from party leaders who worked in the state during the election.
The Tripura BJP has even planned to celebrate Gujarat election results if the party retains power in the state.
“We will go to CPI-M offices across the state with drums and firecrackers and celebrate the victory. Our workers will play drums and instruments outside CPI-M, offices,” said a senior BJP leader.
BJP workers say this will send a positive message to the voters in Tripura.
“People will feel confident about the choice of government they would be making. A positive environment will get created in the state for BJP,” a senior leader said.
The BJP, backed by the RSS, has been trying to expand its footprint in the state and sees this election as a good opportunity to step up its campaign and make its presence felt.