Chennai: Aiming to cash in on ‘student power,’ the BJP here has embarked upon a mission to woo first time voters in colleges across the state as part of a strategy to improve its winning prospects in the 2016 Assembly poll. The party hopes to identify ‘student ambassadors’ and train them to enroll members of the BJP. This exercise is an extension of ‘Modi in Colleges’ - an unfinished task which the saffron party took up in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

“Unlike other political parties in the state, the BJP has no party wing to represent among the student community. So, we have planned to reach out to the students and form the party’s students’ wing for the first time,” says K.V. Kavin Kamal Kumar, BJP state youth wing president. He claims the party has carved out a different role for the ABVP at national level. The approach may not be surprising given the huge number of first-time voters in the state who decisively came forward to exercise their franchise during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Tamil Nadu, according to sources, has over 62 lakh potential first-time voters and the student voters alone account for about 10 lakhs. This is a veritable green area and the saffron party wants to make inroads into the student community and bring as many new voters as possible into its fold. According to sources in the BJP each state officebearer has been mandated to bring new members into the party and help achieve the target of 60 lakh members.

Though this is no cakewalk, the party is determined to reach the number by this March end. Most of the senior leaders are hectically touring the state to enlist new members.“We are also targeting youth, traders, business community and other sections in the society to achieve our target of 60 lakh members,” says S. Mohanarajulu, state organising general secretary.