BJP's 'Gaon Chalo Abhiyan' Targets Ground-Level Feedback for J&K Lok Sabha Polls

Udhampur: The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has initiated the ‘Gaon Chalo Abhiyaan’, a strategic campaign aimed at gathering public feedback. The campaign, which commenced yesterday, will run until February 10, involving over 10,000 party workers spending 24 hours in remote villages across the region to collect 4,500 feedback forms. The BJP views this extensive exercise as vital feedback for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

A senior BJP functionary revealed to Republic that the primary focus of the campaign is to gauge the ground sentiment. The feedback will not only assess the possibility of anti-incumbency in the Udhampur and Jammu constituencies, represented by MoS PMO Dr. Jitendra Singh and Jugal Kishore, respectively, but also target the Rajouri-Anantnag seat, where the BJP aspires to secure a victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP eyes the Rajouri-Anantnag seat following the grant of Scheduled Tribe status to the Pahari community. The bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha and is scheduled to be tabled in the Rajya Sabha today.

Ashok Koul, BJP General Secretary (Org), emphasised that more than 10,000 party activists and leaders are venturing into every village in rural areas and covering each ward in urban areas. They aim to interact with various segments of the population, including farmers, women, and youth, to communicate the policies and programs initiated by the Modi government for overall development.

During the campaign, leaders and workers will stay overnight in the allotted villages or wards, addressing people's concerns and working towards their resolution. Koul added that the BJP will present its report card, emphasizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making India a developed nation by 2047. People will be urged to contribute to achieving this goal, as the party seeks their support for securing a BJP government at the center for the third consecutive term.

In Jammu district, the 'Gaon Chalo Abhiyan' plans to cover 262 booths and 7 Panchayats. BJP District President Pramod Kapahi highlighted the increase in the party's vote share in rural areas from 30.3 per cent in 2014 to 37.6 per cent in 2019. This shift is attributed to beneficiaries voting for the BJP, overlooking caste and local considerations. Kapahi emphasised the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the success of various schemes as contributing factors to this change in vote share.