BJP Fields 24% Of Candidates From Other Parties In Major Strategic Shift

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a cadre-based party that relies heavily on its organization. The party claims to be the world's largest. However, its approach has changed significantly in recent years. This change is also reflected in the party's candidates this time around.

Of the total candidates fielded by the BJP across the country this time, about one-fourth or 24% are leaders who have come from other parties. They have no prior association with the BJP's organization or its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Photo Credit: PTI

106 BJP candidates joined the party in the last 10 years, with 90 joining in the last 5 years. This is a significant trend for a party like the BJP and has led to opposition from the party's own workers in many places.

In Andhra Pradesh, 5 out of 6 BJP candidates joined the party after 2019. These leaders have switched not only from the YSR Congress Party and the Congress but also from the TDP, with which the party now has an alliance. Similarly, in Telangana, 11 out of 17 BJP candidates have come from the Congress or BRS, with 6 of them joining just before these elections.

While the BJP is still trying to expand in Andhra and Telangana, it has been in power in Haryana for 10 years. However, 6 out of 10 candidates in the state have joined the party after 2014.

In Uttar Pradesh, 23 out of 74 BJP candidates (31%) have come from other parties. Similarly, in Punjab, more than half (7) of the 13 candidates have come from other parties.

Some high-profile names from other parties who are contesting on BJP tickets include:

The significant number of candidates from other parties contesting on BJP tickets indicates a major shift in the party's approach. This trend has generated some internal opposition but also highlights the BJP's strategy of expanding its base by attracting leaders from other parties.