Maharashtra : Amit Shah gets GPS devices fitted to the vehicles of BJP candidates to keep tabs on their movements

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known as someone who goes out of his way to keep track of what his ministers are doing. But BJP’s national president and Modi’s close aide Amit Shah has taken the game to the next level, and in one of the first instance of a party keeping tabs on its own candidates,Shah, who is overseeing the Maharashtra campaign, has got GPS devices fitted to the vehicles of all BJP candidates as well as a few office-bearers from outside the state who are campaigning here.

But why the GPS? Shah, apparently, wants the candidates as well as the leaders to know that he’s keeping a close eye on their movements, and doesn’t want them to relax or lose focus.

"Many times, leaders who come from other states work for a day or two and then tend to relax; Shah doesn’t want this to happen. He wants the candidates as well as the other leaders to really travel, meet people instead of just sitting in a hotel." said a top BJP functionary. He added that besides the candidates and leaders, the GPS devices have also been installed on the vehicles of the prabhari (in charge of every constituency).

There have been mixed reactions among the party about the use of GPS though. "Typically, we have people who track what our rivals are up to, but this would be the first time that a party is keeping track of its own people," said a BJP functionary on the condition of anonymity.

A senior BJP functionary, who is also a candidate, on the condition of anonymity confirmed that a GPS device was indeed fitted on his vehicle, but said that it was installed to ensure that vehicles were not ‘misused’.

However, top BJP sources maintain that Shah had them installed to send out a message to every BJP candidate and officer-bearer in the state that he is keeping track of everything that’s going on, and that they shouldn’t take the campaign lightly.

The installation of the devices is perhaps a reflection of the way the BJP chief is approaching the Maharashtra polls. BJP insiders admit that Shah has become even more pro-active after the BJP broke its alliance with the Shiv Sena.