Opinion: BJP’s Obsession With Winning Is Leaving Its Foot Soldiers Behind

There is little debate that the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) election machinery is the most formidable in the country. The party is perpetually in campaign mode -- planning the next battle even before the previous one is over.

Winning elections is, of course, the primary objective of any political party, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But the BJP's growing obsession with victory at any cost is increasingly coming at the expense of its own grassroots workers.

In its relentless pursuit of electoral success, the saffron party has made a habit of inducting leaders -- not only from rival parties but also from its allies -- often just weeks before the polls and promptly rewarding them with tickets. In this process, the party sidelines its foot soldiers -- workers who have strained relationships with their family and friends due to their loyalty to the party, who have faced police cases for agitations in the neighbourhood, and who, most importantly, stood firmly with the party on the ground when it mattered the most.

Ironically, the BJP frequently preaches loyalty. Its leaders repeatedly claim that dedication and perseverance will eventually be rewarded. They speak against nepotism and corruption. Yet, when one looks at the profile of leaders being inducted -- mostly political heirs or serial party-hoppers brought in right before the elections -- serious questions arise about how sincerely these principles are being practised. 

On Saturday (December 20) alone, over 20 leaders from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad joined the BJP -- a strategic move ahead of January 15 municipal polls. Many of them come from established political lineage -- Surendra Pathare is the son of Bapusaheb Pathare, who is a current NCP-SP MLA from Vadgaon Sheri; Sayali Wanjale is the daughter of the late MNS MLA Ramesh Wanjale; Sanjog Waghare contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate from Maval; and Sachin Dodke fought the 2024 Assembly polls from Khadakwasla on a NCP-SP ticket. These are just a few examples. 

It is evident that the BJP plans to field several of these newly inducted leaders and ride their individual clout to electoral victory in the municipal polls.

When viewed from a critical perspective, one is compelled to ask whether this exercise was even necessary. The BJP already holds six of the eight Assembly seats in Pune City (Siddharth Shirole in Shivajinagar, Chandrakant Patil in Kothrud, Madhuri Misal in Parvati, Hemant Rasane in Kasba Peth, Sunil Kamble in Pune Cantonment and Bhimrao Tapkir in Khadakwasla) and two of the three seats in Pimpri-Chinchwad (Mahesh Landge in Bhosari and Shankar Jagtap in Chinchwad).

Out of these, Patil and Misal are members of the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Cabinet. The party also boasts a Lok Sabha MP in Murlidhar Mohol, who currently serves as the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, and a Rajya Sabha MP in Medha Kulkarni.

With such a stellar line-up already in place, the question arises: did the BJP really need to import leaders to strengthen its prospects in the civic polls? Especially when one recalls that the party had secured a handsome majority in Pune and PCMC when the last corporation elections were held in 2017.

Winning elections is not the problem. But what about the loyal workers who spent years opposing these imported leaders? Once again, they are expected to suppress their resentment, abandon expectations and campaign unquestioningly for whoever the party chooses.

Municipal elections, unlike Lok Sabha or Assembly polls, are meant to strengthen a party's grassroots base. They are where the future leadership is nurtured. If even this base is being built primarily through imports from other parties, one has to ask: what role is left for the BJP's foot soldiers? Are they only meant to put up banners, arrange chairs and clap from the sidelines?

For a party that prides itself on cadre-based politics, this growing disconnect may prove far more costly than any election loss.

As I conclude this piece, a loyal BJP worker tells me, "The party leadership must have thought something before inducting these people."

That unwavering faith leaves me flabbergasted.

(The writer is the Pune Bureau Chief of The Free Press Journal)