Lucknow: The incidents of paper leaks, recruitment controversies and alleged irregularities in SIR of electoral rolls have spurred BJP to take its political battle to college campuses to win over Gen-Z and blunt the opposition’s growing influence among the youth ahead of UP elections.The party plans to organise 296 youth conventions in prominent educational institutions in all six organisational regions of the state. Spearheaded by Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the proposed campaign, titled ‘Loktantra vs Arajakta’ (Democracy versus Anarchy), will seek to counter the opposition’s allegations over SIR and the ‘vote chori’ narrative while projecting Yogi govt’s record on employment, law and order and governance against that of the previous Samajwadi Party govt.BJP also plans to invoke the Emergency (1975) and the 1984 anti-Sikh riots to portray Congress and its allies questionable record on democratic values.The campaign reflects BJP’s recognition that the battle for UP polls may not be confined to traditional caste and community equations, but could increasingly hinge on how parties engage with a generation of voters whose concerns over jobs, recruitment, reservation and educational opportunities are shaping the political discourse.UP BJYM president Rohit Mishra told TOI that the conventions would sensitise young voters about the “undemocratic” functioning of previous govts and the changes brought about by Yogu govt.“Young people need to be reminded of the lathicharge during the previous SP govt when they took to the streets demanding their share of govt jobs. They also need to understand the difference between the governance models of the two govts,” Mishra said.He added that the campaign would be launched soon after the constitution of BJYM’s state executive committee over the next few days.The initiative is being viewed as an extension of BJP’s increasingly combative political strategy following Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent offensive against Congress and other opposition parties. Having sought to counter the Congress-led ‘vote chori’ campaign by defending electoral reforms and the SIR exercise, BJP is now looking to take that argument directly to young voters rather than leave the political narrative to be shaped by its opponents.“Youth supporters of the BJP are most active in different areas including spreading awareness about SIR,” said UP BJP spokesperson Priyank Pandey.Party sources said the campus interactions would seek to establish that the opposition was deliberately creating confusion over electoral reforms and attempting to undermine the credibility of democratic institutions. BJP also hopes to use the conventions to build a counter-narrative around the Emergency, electoral integrity and the functioning of constitutional institutions.The regional distribution of the 294 conventions indicates the scale of the proposed exercise. The western region and Braj region will organise 57 conventions each, Kanpur 51 conventions, Kashi 48, Awadh 45 and Gorakhpur 38 conventions.BJP’s campus outreach is not merely about countering the Opposition’s allegations over SIR. It also comes at a time when the party is confronting a more complicated challenge: addressing the growing expectations and anxieties of young people over employment, competitive examinations, reservation and higher education.Sources said controversies surrounding UGC regulations and reservation-related issues have emerged as sensitive subjects among sections of the students. The party wants its youth leaders to engage directly with students, gauge their concerns and address grievances before these develop into wider political discontent.Political observers feel that BJP’s decision to focus on educational institutions is significant given the opposition’s attempts to make unemployment, alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and reservation central to its political campaign. Samajwadi Party, in particular, has been seeking to mobilise young voters around these issues, while Congress has attempted to broaden the debate by questioning the credibility of electoral processes.
