How the ‘Sisters’ were won over by BJP, RSS

The BJP expanding its Northeast footprint with a spectacular win in Tripura, ending the two-decade run of CPM’s Manik Sarkar as chief minister, will be counted as a remarkable feat in the electoral history of the country. But how did the BJP turn its nascent presence a few years ago to a thumping victory and that too in a region that is mired in complex caste, religion and tribal calculations.

The answer perhaps lies in stitching a customised poll campaign and the unprecedented thrust since PM Narendra Modi assumed office in Delhi in 2014. Not only did he make the Northeast a vehicle of Act East Foreign Policy, but he made his ministers visit the region frequently. Insiders in the BJP said that the PM was personally monitoring the electoral campaign on a daily basis. Even during foreign tours, he made a point to keep himself abreast with the campaign in the three states.

In Tripura, despite the work of stalwarts like Himanta Biswa Sarma and Sunil Deodhar, the BJP’s data team overworked to mine data trends.

“We studied the electorate and found out that over 35% of the electorate were either four years or below when the CPM came to power in …read more