BJP's 'Abhinandan Samaroh' puzzles party workers in Uttar Pradesh

BJP's underwhelming performance has left many party workers and senior functionaries baffled by the purpose of the Abhinandan Samaroh in UP. (Courtesy: PTI photo)

The BJP's ongoing national-level programme, Abhinandan Samaroh, designed to felicitate party workers, has sparked intrigue among its karyakartas in Uttar Pradesh (UP). This reaction comes in the wake of a lukewarm performance in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.

Although the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) managed to form the government for the third consecutive time, its tally in UP saw a significant decline, dropping from 64 seats to 37. Moreover, the BJP's vote share fell from 49.98% in 2019 to 41.37% in the latest elections. This underwhelming performance has left many party workers and senior functionaries baffled by the purpose of the Abhinandan Samaroh, which is being held across the state.

While most party members have refrained from commenting on the issue, there have been sporadic expressions of discontent. A party worker expressed that felicitating workers after such a loss seemed unwarranted. He added that the state leadership's silence and lack of communication exacerbated the workers' frustrations.

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“What is the use of Abhinandan when the party lost the elections due to neglect of its workers, and now they are being felicitated?” he questioned and added: "It seems we are being felicitate for ensuring loss of the party".

Another senior leader interests to say that the ruckus reported almost half a dozen Abhinandan programmes prove that this decision of the party has not gone well the workers.

In Ghazipur, a few workers opposed a minister's presence on the dais, arguing that the minister had not shown any concern for them previously. Now, they felt, she was being showcased by the party.

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Similarly, in Salempur, where BJP candidate and two-time MP Ravindra Kushwaha narrowly lost to SP's Ramashankar Rajbhar, a local BJP worker told media persons that the Abhinandan Samaroh seemed to mock Kushwaha's defeat. He alleged that supporters of UP Minister and local MLA Vijay Laxmi Gautam were responsible for Kushwaha's loss.

Adding to the discontent, a video of former minister Moti Singh's speech at a similar event in Patti, Pratapgarh, has gone viral. In the video, Moti Singh purportedly claims that in his 42 years of political career, he has never seen such a level of corruption in tehsils and thanas as exists now.

The Abhinandan Samaroh programme, which is being conducted nationally, has Govind Narain Shukla, the party general secretary, in charge in UP. Shukla mentioned that the programmes had taken place at approximately 200 locations and were scheduled to conclude by July 14. However, the schedule might be extended due to the upcoming state working committee meeting on July 14.

BJP state president Vijay Bahadur Pathak while defending the decision of the party said that this samaroh gave an opportunity to party workers to vent their anger. "They are hurt over party's poor performance and have their point of view, which they expressed in that meeting. The party leadership has taken it very sportingly," he said.

Despite these efforts, workers in several districts remain annoyed with both state and central leaderships over issues like ticket distribution and general neglect. A political analyst noted that the Modi factor was heavily promoted, suggesting that party workers felt sidelined, believing the election could be won solely on Modi's name.

This combination of discontent and perceived neglect highlights the challenges the BJP faces in maintaining unity and morale among its ranks in UP.