With assembly polls in Maharashtra fast approaching, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has initiated a vast outreach programme aimed at shaping public opinion in favour of the BJP-led alliance.
The initiative, involving coordinated efforts from RSS and its affiliates, is designed to build momentum for the BJP’s electoral prospects, sources familiar with the matter revealed.
The RSS, the ideological backbone of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is spearheading this effort through organised teams, known as 'tolis', across Maharashtra.
These teams are engaging with communities at a grassroots level, particularly in localities and 'mohallas', to shape discussions on key issues like national interest, Hindutva, development, good governance, and public welfare.
Although the RSS is not explicitly endorsing the BJP in these discussions, sources say the aim is to influence voters by creating awareness around important social and political concerns.
"Tolis have been formed across the state, and they have started reaching out to people in their respective localities, taking the message to the public," a source explained. "These groups hold small meetings with 5 to 10 people and engage with families in their neighbourhoods, subtly influencing their opinions."
Coordination meetings between RSS office bearers and their affiliate groups were held at various levels across the state to devise strategies before launching the outreach.
The significance of this initiative is heightened by the BJP’s recent success in Haryana, where the RSS played a pivotal role in swaying public opinion, contributing to the party's victory.
Sources emphasised the crucial role that similar 'drawing room meetings' held in Haryana had on the election outcome. "In Haryana, the RSS conducted over 1.25 lakh small group meetings.
These gatherings helped shift the mood in the state, particularly by addressing concerns about the Congress government’s 'Jat-centric policies' under former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda," one source remarked.
The outreach also tackled issues like the Agnipath recruitment scheme, which had stirred discontent among segments of the population.
"RSS workers were able to assuage concerns over the Agnipath scheme and engage with farmers, swaying their sentiments in favour of the BJP," the source added.
The BJP's performance in Haryana, where the party defied anti-incumbency to win 48 of the 90 assembly seats, was attributed in part to the RSS’s efforts.
The party’s haul marked its best-ever showing in the state, enabling it to retain power and thwart a comeback bid by the Congress.
The RSS's influence is deeply embedded within the community, with workers maintaining longstanding relationships with locals, which allows them to build trust and shape opinions.
"RSS stands out due to its embedded nature within the community. Its workers maintain long-term relationships and trust with people in their respective localities," the source noted.
There is optimism within the BJP that this model could be successfully replicated in Maharashtra, which goes to the polls on November 20.
Sources within the party believe that the RSS's active participation in the state’s pre-election landscape will play a decisive role, especially after its involvement in the Haryana victory.
The BJP’s underperformance in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the party’s tally dropped to nine seats from 23 in 2019, has made the stakes even higher.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and the NCP (Sharad Pawar), is hoping to build on its success in the Lok Sabha polls and wrest control from the ruling coalition.
In the parliamentary elections, the Congress’s fortunes improved significantly, with its seat count rising from one to 13. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena secured nine seats, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP won eight, boosting the MVA’s confidence heading into the assembly polls.
The BJP, along with its allies—Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and Ajit Pawar’s NCP—has been left strategising for a comeback.
Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction won seven Lok Sabha seats, while the Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured just one.
Adding to the BJP's challenge is a belief that RSS workers may not have been fully enthusiastic during the Lok Sabha campaign.
Party insiders say this may have been partly due to remarks made by BJP president JP Nadda during the general election campaign, which some RSS members interpreted as suggesting that the BJP no longer needed the Sangh's support.
However, with the RSS now fully engaged in shaping public opinion in Maharashtra, BJP workers are hopeful that the Haryana model will deliver similar results in the upcoming assembly elections.
Although the RSS maintains that it does not directly participate in electoral politics, its presence and influence on the ground continue to play a pivotal role in the BJP’s electoral campaigns.
Follow us
