The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to lay the groundwork in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. A series of coordination meetings between the RSS and BJP will begin today. Further, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will visit Lucknow for three days starting on 22 September. During this period, outreach programmes will be held in each village and preparation for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha programme will be made.
In addition, Bhagwat will formulate electoral strategies. In this meeting, the RSS chief or Sarsanghchalak Bhagwat may be accompanied by the Sarkaryawah Dattatreya Hosabale and Sah Sarkaryawah Arun Kumar. Discussions will revolve around involving RSS workers in election preparations and booth empowerment campaigns, which will begin on 26 September.
During the campaign, RSS volunteers will assist in booths to enrol new voters. RSS may provide its input on various issues and offer suggestions to the government. The meeting will likely involve the participation of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak. Some government ministers may also be invited.
RSS chief Bhagwat will arrive in Lucknow on Friday and will stay there till Sunday. During this time, he will participate in meetings with the RSS’s regional and district-level functionaries. They will review RSS activities in Uttar Pradesh and discuss how to expand their work to every Nyaya Panchayat (justice panchayat).
The main agenda of the meeting in Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Nirala Nagar, on 19 and 20 September is to create a favourable atmosphere for the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha event and to involve RSS workers in election preparations. The focus will also be on how RSS can reach out to Dalits, Adivasis, and new villages. Initially, it will focus on expanding its work at the branch level up to the Nyaya Panchayat level.
Those who cannot directly participate in the daily RSS meetings will be engaged through social work. The RSS will prioritise expanding its Shakha (branch) network, especially up to the Panchayat level. Individuals who cannot regularly attend RSS Shakhas will be integrated into social activities. The RSS aims to expand its work to every village in Uttar Pradesh before 2025, when it will celebrate its centenary year.