Almost half of BJP MPs unlikely to get party ticket

New Delhi, March 13: Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to repeat almost half of its non-performing Members of Parliament (MPs) in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, say sources.

The sources tell One India that the top party leadership has earmarked the non-performing MPs on the basis of internal surveys and other factors.

"The party leadership conducted four surveys of its Lok Sabha MPs from different private agencies in last one year," said informed sources.

Apart from the surveys, the party also invited suggestions from the BJP MLAs, corporators, and functionaries of every parliamentary constituency, they added.

The performance of BJP MPs was also analysed on the basis of their activeness on the social media and connect with the people of the constituency, said sources.

A BJP MP was supposed to be in his/her constituency for at least 21 days in a month when the Lok Sabha was not in session.

It is notable that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very much active on social media platforms and has a huge following.

He has told party MPs on many occasions that communicating in the new age would be impossible unless politicians became mobile and social-media savvy as they will become an important factor in 2019 General elections.

The BJP MPs were asked to have verified accounts on Twitter and Facebook with followers not less than three lakh.

Despite the Prime Minister's regular advice, many MPs did not become active on social media. It is also being considered as indiscipline and inactiveness, said sources, adding that most of the inactive and non-performing MPs in the surveys are also not active on the social media.

Another performance component is Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADs) fund, which enables the MPs to recommend developmental work in their constituencies with an emphasis on creating durable community assets based on locally felt needs. Each MP is allocated Rs. 5 crore per year since 2011-12 which has been increased from Rs. 5 lakh in 1993-94 and Rs. 2 crore in 1998-99.

Those MPs who have not utilised their MPLADS funds are also in the danger area, said sources.

The BJPs Central Election Committee will keep the findings of the internal surveys, social media, and MPLADS report card of the MPs in mind while deciding the party candidates for Lok Sabha elections, said sources.

The MPs in the firing line also have got hint that they might not get ticket so they have opened up parleys with other parties for accommodation.

The party is also aware that some of the MPs will shift loyalties and some will use pressure tactics for getting tickets, but the BJPs top brass is determined not to go in the crucial Lok Sabha polls with the leaders having negative image.

In a move to pressurise BJP, its MP Sakshi Maharaj has written a letter to Uttar Pradesh party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey claiming that consequences "may not be positive" if the party denies him a ticket to contest from Unnao constituency in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

There are at least 30-40 BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh whose report is negative and some of them are in touch with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) for the ticket.