New Delhi, June 28: The BJP plans to use the presidential election to build the template for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, seeking to fragment the Opposition and decimate the morale of its rivals.
Having already unsettled the Opposition by securing the support of JDU chief Nitish Kumar, BJP strategists are now working on smaller parties, Independents and possible defectors from the Opposition bloc to register a massive victory in the presidential poll, sources said.
"The victory margin will surprise everybody. We already have 65 per cent of the votes and hope to cross 70 per cent," a senior BJP leader said. He indicated that smaller parties like the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Independent MPs and MLAs would support NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.
"In addition to this, we are sure a lot of members of the Opposition parties will defect and vote for Kovind," the leader said. He pointed out that since the presidential election is held through secret ballots, MPs and MLAs can easily vote against the party line without being identified.
The BJP strategists believe that the already fragmented Opposition will be stunned by the victory margin and become more demoralised ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. "The idea is to make the Opposition concede defeat much before 2019," another BJP leader said.
Nitish's move to support Kovind has broken the backbone of the Opposition, the BJP strategists believe. They feel it is only a matter of time before the Grand Alliance in Bihar splits.
Delhi and Bihar have been blots in the BJP's victory march post 2014 and the party has desperately been wanting the Lalu Prasad-Nitish ties to snap.
The BJP had feared that the Bihar experiment, of rival Opposition parties joining hands to take on the BJP, could be emulated in other state and also at the national level.
BJP sources said the corruption cases against RJD chief Lalu's family members were "carefully timed" ahead of the presidential election to make Nitish uncomfortable. They said the choice of Bihar governor Kovind as the NDA's presidential candidate was made keeping Nitish in mind and it worked.
The BJP appears assured that Nitish will split with Lalu ahead of the 2019 elections and will be compelled to join hands with the BJP to remain in power. "Once the Lalu-Nitish alliance breaks and Nitish is forced to return to us, Bihar will be won," a BJP leader said.
The BJP strategists are also keeping a close watch on Uttar Pradesh, where the possibility of an alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party is being explored. Sources said the BJP was working on strategies to stop such a tie-up.
"We are in touch with several MLAs from the SP and the BSP and we are sure many of them will vote for Kovind," a BJP leader said.
