Putting its Hindutva agenda aside, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to capitalise on the anti-incumbency factor to capture power in the four states going to the polls in November.
The states going to the polls are Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
It proposes to mobilise about 10,000 dedicated party activists in each of the four Congress-ruled states to fan the resentment among the people.
"The activists are being trained to give priority to local issues because that is what affects the people most. Of course, national and international issues will not be ignored," party general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told rediff.com on Thursday.
The BJP would highlight the National Democratic Alliance government's achievements at both the national and international levels.
National security and preserving the country's unity and integrity was something about which the party is proud of and it was something which would find prominent mention in its manifesto, Naqvi said.
The strategy to focus on local issues was decided upon at the party's April 4-5 national executive meet in Indore.
The Hindutva issue would not be used during the polls because the party feels that it is a matter of personal faith, Naqvi said.
"We feel the palpable anti-incumbency factor in these four states is extremely conducive for us and we are sparing no efforts to wrest power in these states," he said.
The contradictory stand adopted by the Congress at the central and state levels has frustrated the people forcing them to look at alternatives, he said.
For example, the Congress leadership at the Centre scoffs at the BJP's determination to outlaw cow-slaughter, but Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh is quietly canvassing support for the same in his state, Naqvi pointed out.
"These are local issues having a direct bearing on the people and our party activists will aggressively propagate our stand among the electorate," he said.
In Delhi, the BJP would highlight the twin problems of power and water shortage. In Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's unpopularity had reached its zenith, the BJP spokesman claimed, adding that his 'false' charges against the Intelligence Bureau had 'thoroughly exposed him'.
But a recent party appraisal in these four states revealed that the BJP is not assured of victory in any of the states.
The main problem is the weaknesses in the BJP's state units.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the appraisal revealed, is well entrenched while the BJP's state unit has to manage factional squabbles involving chief ministerial candidate Madan Lal Khurana and arch rival Sahib Singh Verma.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh is also proving to be a hard nut to crack while its local unit is plagued with internecine fights involving election campaign leader Uma Bharti, senior leader Sumitra Mahajan and others.
The situation in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh is slightly better, but far from a cakewalk, the survey noted.
Rajasthan BJP chief Vasundhararaje Scindia is yet to find acceptance among the entrenched leadership in the state while former Congressman Vidya Charan Shukla is proving to be a bigger headache to Chief Minister Ajit Jogi than the BJP.
