How Amit Shah and his team of four leaders helped BJP take roots in Haryana

CHANDIGARH:For over one and a half months, a few bigwigs from the BJP camped in Rohtak, the constituency of Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, shaping the party's campaign in the state ahead of the elections that took place on October 15.

If the BJP emerges as the single largest party after the votes are counted on Sunday, as projected by various exit polls, it will be largely due to the planning and execution by these heavyweights, who operated out of a rival party's citadel. ET profiles the men who worked behind the scenes on aspects such as ticket distribution, managing rallies and imparting the 'killer instinct' to BJP workers in the state.
BHAJANS & KILLER ISNTINCT

Kailash Vijayvargiya: The Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Minister who was named by party president Amit Shah as the election in-charge for Haryana, Vijayvargiya is known for two unique traits. He prefers to sing bhajans to convey messages to party workers instead of making lengthy, mundane speeches. Secondly, he has the ability to instill the "killer instinct" in party workers.

"Till now, BJP supporters had been contesting but the confidence and the killer instinct was lacking. It was Vijayvargiya ji who infused this in party workers," said a senior BJP leader. It was Vijayvargiya's brainchild to ensure the BJP got the support of the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda.

THE BACKUP PROVIDER

Dr Anil Jain: A national secretary of the BJP, Jain was jointly in charge of the Haryana campaign. His main tasks were twofold: to decide the venues and manage all the rallies held by Modi, the party's star campaigner, and to pick candidates to contest the election. "All the rallies held by PM were managed by Dr Jain. He also played a crucial role in selecting candidates," a BJP leader said.

THE POLITICAL TRAINER

Shiv Prakash: Recently recruited from the RSS, Prakash, the BJP's Joint General Secretary (Organisation), played a significant role in bringing party workers together as a cohesive team. Sources told ET that Prakash was involved in the “intricate planning” of campaigning, imparted "political training" to workers and helped them understand the pulse of the electorate.

THE MENTOR

Ram Lal: The BJP's national organisation secretary brought much needed "discipline" among party workers. "He is a fatherly figure whose words of wisdom brought discipline and focus in the party workers," a party leader told ET.