Modi keen on putting BJP in poll mission mode

• Use of social media key to Modi strategy
• BJP Parliamentary Board meets under Gujarat CM's chairmanship
• Bid to revive party in UP

Anita Saluja New Delhi: Not ruling out the possibility of early parliamentary polls in the wake of the Congress-led UPA Government opting for the Ordinance route to bring into force the Food Security law, the BJP top-brass on Thursday evening went into a huddle to firm up their own election strategy. In the meeting of the BJP Parliamentary Board, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was keen to put the party into mission mode, to gear it up for the next Lok Sabha polls. The next BJP Parliamentary Board meeting has been scheduled for Monday, in a quick succession, as Modi is in a hurry to prepare the party for the polls.

Use of the social media for campaign is the key element in Modi's poll strategy. Modi has beaten Union Minister Shashi Tharoor and emerged No 1 in the following he commands, which he would use to advantage of reaching out to the youth, who are all hooked on to the social media. Modi plans to reach out workers via teleconferencing, besides visiting State capitals to interact with the workers. Apart from countering the Government on Food Security Ordinance, the BJP is planning to convert mishandling of the relief work in Uttarakhand into an emotive issue as pilgrims from across the country are all angry and upset at the way the Centre handled the relief works.

The BJP is keen to make the 'misuse of CBI', in the backdrop of Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, into a big issue. Another emotive issue is the growing incidents of assaults against women. Sources say, Modi is also crafting the strategy to counter the Congress-led UPA Government on the misuse of the CBI. While on the one hand, the premier investigating agency appeared to be in a hurry to push the BJP on the backfoot, especially in Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case, it was keen to bail out former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal in the railgate. The BJP is all set to make the misuse of the CBI as a political tool by the Congress a major poll issue. Both inside and outside Parliament, the campaign against the misuse of CBI by the Congress will be intensified.

Modi held a meeting with BJP General Secretary Varun Gandhi and BJP General Secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Amit Shah. Focus of the meeting was on reviving the BJP in the largest Hindi-heartland State of Uttar Pradesh. Varun Gandhi would be used to counter his cousin and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh. Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy, who is in the NDA, also met Modi at the Gujarat Bhavan. Subramanian Swamy is understood to have made a proposal to merge his political outfit, the Janata Party, in the BJP.

Significantly, this was the first major strategy meeting, where Modi and BJP patriarch L K Advani came face to face, after the rift broke out between them, in the wake of Modi's elevation as the BJP Campaign Committee Chairman at the BJP National Executive at Goa. Following the RSS intervention, the leaders have been directed that there should no room for dissonance in the leadership, at a time when the party prepares the crucial poll strategy.

Modi is planning meetings of the booth-level workers in every parliamentary constituency across the country. In a parliamentary constituency, there are estimated 1500-2000 booths and on each booth, there are about 10 booth-level workers. It is important to hold a meeting of these booth-level workers in every parliamentary constituency, as they are the ones, who reach the homes of the voters and bring them out to cast their votes on the crucial polling day.

An issue that figured in the meeting but no decision was taken was on the possible return to the party fold of Karnataka strongman B S Yeddyurappa, who is an admirer of Modi. Though Advani is opposed to the reinduction of Yeddyurappa, Modi feels that in a crucial election, the party cannot afford to keep out of the party fold useful leaders like Yeddyurappa. As two former BJP Presidents, Nitin Gadkari and Murli Manohar Joshi were not present at the meeting on Thursday, the BJP Parliamentary Board will meet again on Monday, when decisions are expected to be formalized.