• By Aditya Jha
  • Sun, 20 Oct 2024 01:47 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a month before Maharashtra polls, has launched an extensive outreach programme to shape public opinion in favour of the BJP-led alliance in the state and make people aware of the schemes run by the Maharashtra government. 

RSS, the ideological fountainhead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has begun the programme in cooperation with its sister and daughter wings in the state. "Tolis (teams) have been formed across the state, and they have started reaching out to people in their respective localities, taking the message," PTI claimed by citing sources. 

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The sources further explained that each team is holding small group meetings with 5-10 people and also reaching out to families through their local network in 'mohallas' in their respective localities. "In these meetings, they do not explicitly endorse the BJP but shape the people's opinion through intimate discussions around topics of national interest, Hindutva, good governance, development, public welfare, and various local issues concerning the society," the source added.

It is widely believed that a lack of enthusiasm among the RSS workers was one of the key factors behind the BJP's underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha elections this year. However, there were several meetings held between the saffron party and Sangh after the Lok Sabha results. Although the RSS maintains that it does not directly engage in electoral politics, it has long been believed to be the BJP's hidden force in elections.

The BJP suffered a setback in parliamentary elections in Maharashtra as its tally came down to nine from 23 it had won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in the state. Its ally Shiv Sena, led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, won seven seats. Another ally, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, bagged just one seat.

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The Congress' tally went up to 13 from one seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena won nine seats and Sharad Pawar-led NCP eight.

Stakes are high for the BJP and its allies in Maharashtra assembly polls scheduled to be held in one phase on November 20 with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), looking to wrest power from the ruling coalition, riding high on their success in the Lok Sabha polls this year.