New Delhi
With former “pracharak” and the Hindutva icon Narendra Modi taking a shot at the prime ministerial post, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has swung into action to accomplish the task.
The RSS, which is expected to stay away from everything political, has for the first time reportedly pressed into operation all its swayamsevaks or volunteers to not merely campaign for Modi but to handle booth management of all BJP candidates for Lok Sabha elections.
Delhi BJP chief and saffron candidate from Chandni Chowk Harsh Vardhan is reportedly in constant touch with the RSS functionaries to ensure the party’s electoral victory in all seven Delhi Lok Sabha berths.
Similarly RSS volunteers, particularly swayamsevaks, have swung into action in Uttar Pradesh and are working shoulder to shoulder with the BJP cadre for booth level management which is the most crucial operation during the polls. It may be pointed out that the role of the RSS so far had been confined to door-to-door campaigning for the party candidates.
Sources revealed that the RSS was given the responsibility to train its volunteers during the recently held pratinidhi sabha. The RSS will deploy at least two volunteers on every booth. The trained swayamsevaks would be managing virtually all booths across the country.
In Delhi the swayamsevaks along with the BJP cadre would manage 11,763 booths at 247 locations.
A senior BJP leader while speaking about this special operation, said RSS swayamsevaks would be mainly focussed on rural and semi-rural belts, while the BJP cadre would concentrate in the urban areas.
It may be pointed out here that in south and east India, particularly West Bengal and Kerala, RSS functionaries are regarded as far more active than the BJP cadre. With Modi giving equal importance to these regions, where the party is not regarded as strong, RSS swayamsevaks have fanned out in large numbers.
In Delhi preparations have been made for supervision of booths and to encourage voters who did not turn up to vote this time,” a BJP leader said.
Booth management will be one of the key factors in winning elections, according to Harsh Vardhan who has called upon party workers to ensure that people have no difficulty in casting their votes. “The party which successfully manages the booth wins the elections. Hence on the day of polling, the objective of every worker and the candidates should be taking the voters to the polling booth and help in casting their votes. These elections are historical. Delhi BJP has to create history.” Vardhan said.