'People listen to us more...': After 2024 general elections debacle, RSS intensifies campaign for BJP in Haryana polls

In the run-up to the Haryana elections, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has launched an extensive campaign in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), mobilising its grassroots network to target key voter bases. 

As reported by The Print, the RSS is distributing pamphlets and is urging voters to consider issues such as caste-based voting and national interest, without explicitly endorsing any political party. 

Although the pamphlet appears neutral, BJP insiders indicate that the questions it raises point directly toward favouring the BJP. 

As a party leader anonymously stated, “If you analyse the questions, it becomes clear that the answer to all of them is the BJP,” reported The Print. The pamphlet also criticises political parties for promoting pseudo-secularism and opportunism, urging voters to reject such divisive politics.

This campaign is significant in light of speculation about the strained relationship between the BJP and its ideological mentor, the RSS, following earlier electoral setbacks. However, the RSS has since ramped up its efforts to ensure BJP’s success, with volunteers actively canvassing door-to-door across Haryana. 

Moreover, RSS leaders have explicitly confirmed their organisation’s deep involvement in the BJP's strategy, including the selection of candidates in key constituencies. As claimed by The Print, candidates in six out of nine assembly seats in Kurukshetra were swapped based on RSS feedback to tackle anti-incumbency issues. The volunteers have also worked to address voter demoralisation by focusing on effective voter slip distribution and communication of BJP’s achievements.

A major theme in the RSS’s outreach is national security, with volunteers highlighting the need for a nationalist government to safeguard Haryana. They warn of the dangers of anti-national elements gaining control in neighbouring states and argue that Haryana's security depends on keeping the BJP in power.

The RSS has organised multiple review meetings at various levels to fine-tune its efforts, and its social standing lends credibility to the BJP’s campaign. “People listen to us more than political parties,” a senior RSS leader said, emphasising that the organisation’s influence could make a decisive difference in voter turnout and decision-making. 

Additionally, the RSS has segmented its campaign to target specific groups, including women, Scheduled Castes, Sikhs, and youth, aiming to counter misinformation, especially in Sikh communities, and remind people of historical grievances like the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The RSS also underlined the BJP’s achievements and warned voters that a non-BJP government could undo security measures, reopening borders to destabilising elements.