Want To Be A BJP ‘Vistarak’ In West Bengal? You Need To Pass This Test First – Delhi News Daily

Sources in Bengal BJP suggest the party is keen to retain some cadre who worked as ‘Vistaraks’ in the 2021 assembly election. (News18)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is preparing for the West Bengal election scheduled early next year, has received almost double the number of applications for ‘Vistaraks’ [grassroots workers].

Though the state has just 294 seats, the party has received nearly 500 applications, surprising the top leadership. However, the large number of applications has forced the BJP to go for a two-tier examination that will include a written test to select ‘Vistaraks’, sources have revealed.

This is a first for the BJP where applicants will first have to clear the written test and then clear group discussion. The minimum qualification has been set as those who have passed the Class 12 exam, but the party is keen on giving preferential treatment to those who are graduates or above, said the source.

The idea of a written test and group discussion is said to be the brainchild of BJP’s Bengal in-charge Sunil Bansal who wanted to “filter in only those whose ideologies align with those of the BJP”.

“The concept of Vistarak, which is held by the young, is not new in BJP. But the overwhelming response shows how eager they are for a change. In Bengal, youngsters generally go for three professions—doctors, engineers, and teachers. We have seen doctors protest for months, teachers’ scam has rendered them jobless, and engineers are seeking employment in other states. No wonder the BJP-aligned youngsters want to take the message of change to every household,” Keya Ghosh, Bengal BJP’s media co-in charge, told News18. She added that the large applications made the party go for the selection process.

BJP ‘Vistaraks’ are workers of BJP who dedicate themselves to organisational expansion and outreach at the grassroots level. ‘Vistarak’ literally means “one who expands/spreads”. The concept was revived and institutionalised under Home Minister Amit Shah when he was BJP president between 2014 and 2019.

In Bengal, one ‘Vistarak’ will be dedicated for one assembly seat who will be sent there after Diwali and will stay put till elections are over. The ‘Vistarak’ will map weak booths, strengthen local committees, coordinate with local leadership, train booth workers, collect data and report back to the party. Each of them will spread welfare scheme awareness and highlight the Modi government’s achievements in all 294 seats. They will also identify local influencers to bring into BJP’s fold.

“They operate out of the party office and each of them are given a vehicle. This gives them a sense of belonging. Many ‘Vistaraks’ eventually end up becoming full-time BJP cadres and later leaders,” said a BJP source in Bengal.

Sources in Bengal BJP suggest the party is keen to retain some cadre who worked as ‘Vistaraks’ in the 2021 assembly election. Sources also reveal that majority of the applications came from North Bengal and Rarh Banga areas. BJP has five organisation zones in West Bengal.