RJD plans to hold door-to-door drive and virtual rallies

NEW DELHI: The RJD is planning a multi-pronged strategy, which will include a blueprint for Bihar, and a mix of real and virtual contact programmes to counter the BJP-JD(U) campaign blitzkrieg
RJD, which is preparing the blueprint with help from sector specific experts, has identified 10 sectors and called it ‘Lal Ten’, which are the sectors where the party promises to work if voted to power. These are agriculture, industry, health, education, construction, technology, infrastructure, electricity, transport and law and order. The party is consulting experts from and outside Bihar for each of these areas.

“Every time we raise a question on Nitish Kumar’s governance, they ask us what we have to offer,” a leader working on the blueprint told ET. “Now we will launch our sector specific plans one by one as we go ahead. We have prepared a concrete plan keeping in mind the state’s resources and geographical conditions.”The ‘Lal Ten’ has been launched to counter Nitish Kumar’s Saat Nischay (Seven Commitments).

Currently, there are two war rooms, one at the state party office and the other at Rabri Devi’s residence at 10 Circular Road. Separate research, IT and content teams have set up offices at these two places to offer a counter narrative to the NDA campaign. Party leaders feel that they have successfully countered the good governance narrative of Nitish Kumar through social media.

Unlike the BJP and JD(U) who are running a more focused campaign on virtual medium, RJD’s strategy is to create a right mix of virtual and real. Most of the party candidates who have been cleared by the party are busy in door-to-door campaigning in their respective constituencies.

A virtual stage has been set up at the party office which will be used to telecast virtual rallies by Tejashwi Yadav and other senior leaders. But party leaders want to highlight the virtual part only after the election is announced. “Virtual rallies don’t have a lasting impact. People will forget it quickly. We plan to do it only when the dates are announced.” As per sources, the entire party campaign strategy is being prepared from a positive messaging angle and does not attack individuals. “If you see NDA’s campaign, it is full of personal attacks on our leaders Lalu Ji and Tejashwi Ji,” said the RJD leader. “Despite that, our campaign would be on issues. We would ask questions to Nitish Kumar as we have been doing in the past on his governance.”