Before the polls, the BJP had confidently projected a winning margin of over five lakh votes for Gadkari, based on extensive development work carried out by him. The actual margin, however, fell significantly short. This drop in Gadkari’s popularity in terms of votes polled has jolted the party’s city unit and prompted a comprehensive review involving all its MLAs, MLCs, and top office-bearers. The review aims to identify and rectify discrepancies ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls in October-November and the municipal corporation elections next year.
City BJP president Bunty Kukde announced that an assembly-wise review would be conducted to determine where the party was found lacking. “We will collect voter lists and analyze the data thoroughly to pinpoint the areas where we fell short. All four party MLAs will be invited to the meeting as BJP’s vote share has decreased in their constituencies as well,” Kukde told TOI.
The review will focus on understanding the reasons for reduced voter support despite Gadkari’s significant contributions to the region, including a slew of infrastructure projects and development initiatives.
A prominent BJP leader emphasized that the Lok Sabha results serve as a wake-up call for the party. The reduced winning margin has raised concerns about the party’s performance in the forthcoming assembly polls and municipal elections. “Even the efforts put in by 108 former corporators of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation will be scrutinized. The party will compare votes received by Gadkari this year with those in 2019 and 2014. The internal audit aims to identify corporators who have fulfilled their responsibilities and those who have not, potentially prompting significant changes ahead of municipal elections,” Kukde hinted.
It is evident that the party lost ground in Dalit and Muslim-dominated sections, reasons for which have been attributed to various factors including voter consolidation against the party and specific policy decisions that may have alienated certain sections of the electorate.
Though it was expected, the poor voter turnout and drop in win margin by nearly 20,000 votes as compared to 2019 in BJP’s bastion of Southwest constituency — represented by deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis in the Assembly thrice — surprised everyone in the party.
Gadkari’s victory was secured largely due to his goodwill and extensive development work carried out across Nagpur, Vidarbha, Maharashtra, and India. His deep connection with voters across caste and religious lines helped him get support from diverse sections of society. Notable development projects taken up by Gadkari include metro and establishment of national-level educational institutions like AIIMS, IIM, and IIIT. Also, he initiated community connect projects like Sanskriti Mahotsav and Krida Mahotsav, BJP leaders said.
The BJP plans to address these challenges by closely analyzing voting patterns and performance metrics. This internal audit aims to ensure stronger support in future elections. The party is focused on regaining lost ground and performing better in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls and municipal elections.
“We would collect all voter lists and the number of those who actually voted across booths in the district. We will study them thoroughly and come out with findings about areas where we lagged. We will invite all four MLAs from our party to the meeting as BJP’s vote share has reduced in their constituencies as well,” Kukde reiterated.
The BJP’s upcoming review and introspection sessions are crucial steps towards understanding and addressing the factors behind reduced support for Gadkari.
