Diffusion

• These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a likely third consecutive victory in the Indian general election, starting today.
• As part of my research on members of right-wing populist parties, I’ve conducted interviews with dozens of BJP party members and officials.
• (They spoke to me on condition of anonymity, so are only represented by their first initial here).

A well-oiled campaign machine

• Maintaining a large membership-based organisation provides the BJP with a campaign machine that has no equal in India.
• The focus of this organisation is on the polling booth.
• Each booth has ten women, and each woman is allotted 15 houses where they roam around for about three days [before election day].
• The BJP is effectively engaging in micro-campaigning on a nationwide scale, and so gaining a significant advantage in mobilising voters.

Training members in Hindu nationalism

• In addition, the BJP is the Indian party with the most well-defined ideological platform, which combines fervent Hindu nationalism with right-wing populism based on religious polarisation.
• Its grassroots organisation enables the BJP to socialise and train its members in this ideology.
• My research on both BJP party voters and members shows how these people hold right-wing populist attitudes and worldviews that closely match the party’s platform.
• In the case of grassroots members, these ideologies are ingrained through an extensive training network.

Bringing welfare to the poor

• Alongside Hindu nationalism, the expansion of welfare to hundreds of millions of low-income earners is another reason why Modi is so popular.
• He always makes sure to put the words “prime minister” before the names of welfare programs and print his face on handouts.
• When it comes to welfare program implementation, however, it is BJP party members who do the heavy lifting.
• According to my interviews, this was the main activity of party members, whether in the form of cleaning the streets, distributing food or setting up bank accounts for the poor.

Party survival is a priority

• Finally, the extensive grassroots party organisation enables the BJP to thrive by providing a steady source of candidates, officials and leaders.
• Members affirmed that the BJP, contrary to other parties, is meritocratic when it comes to the distribution of offices.
• As N., a Marathi car shop owner, explained:
  The BJP is not dominated by one family.
• Maintaining a large membership also facilitates the BJP’s survival in the long run.

Sofia Ammassari does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.