BJP Struggles at Booth Level in Haryana,lost 51% of booths in Haryana during the Lok Sabha elections

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Haryana is facing challenges as it prepares for the upcoming Assembly elections. Despite having a strong organizational structure, the party suffered unexpected losses in the recent Lok Sabha elections, prompting a reevaluation of its strategies. 

Booth-Level Performance in Lok Sabha Elections 

In the Lok Sabha elections, Haryana had 19,812 polling booths. The BJP managed to win only 9,740 booths, which is about 49% of the total. This means the party lost in 51% of the booths, with Congress and other parties winning the remaining 10,072 booths. This result has raised concerns within the BJP, especially considering that the party won only 5 out of 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

BJP's Booth Grading Initiative

To address this setback, the BJP has implemented a booth grading system:

1. A-grade: Booths where BJP won with a good margin 
2. B-grade: Booths with close victories or small margins
3. C-grade: Booths where BJP lost Currently, 51% of the booths are in the C-grade category.     

The party's main focus is to improve these C-grade booths to B-grade before the Assembly elections. 

Strengthening Grassroots Organization

The BJP has taken several steps to strengthen its presence at the local level:

1. Appointed coordinators at Assembly and Mandal levels  
2. Tasked these coordinators with activating party workers
3. Analyzing the performance of "Panna Pramukhs" (page in-charges)

The party discovered that many Panna Pramukhs existed only on paper and were not active in the field. Some who were active limited themselves to photo opportunities rather than engaging with voters. 

Comparison with Previous Elections 

Interestingly, the BJP performed better in this Lok Sabha election compared to the 2019 Assembly elections in terms of booth victories. In the previous Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 8,528 booths out of 19,481, while Congress won only 5,934 booths. This time, BJP increased its booth victories to 9,740, which the party sees as a silver lining. 

Looking Ahead to Assembly Elections 

The upcoming Assembly elections will have 20,031 booths, slightly more than the Lok Sabha elections. The BJP is the only party in Haryana with a strong organizational structure down to the booth level. Other parties like Congress lack such a robust organization, while regional parties like JJP and INLD have limited presence in certain districts.

The BJP's preparations for the Assembly elections, including booth grading and appointing coordinators, show the party's determination to improve its performance. By focusing on converting C-grade booths to B-grade and activating grassroots workers, the BJP hopes to secure a third consecutive term in the Haryana government.