Haryana BJP's "Every Vote Matters" Campaign: Mobilizing Bihari Migrant Workers for Bihar Assembly Elections

Special buses are scheduled to begin transporting workers from industrial areas to Bihar starting November 1, as the electoral competition in Bihar extends well beyond its geographical boundaries.

The Haryana branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has initiated an extensive mobilization campaign to facilitate hundreds of thousands of Bihari migrant workers' return to their home state to exercise their voting rights in the upcoming assembly elections.

Informally named 'Every Vote Matters', the initiative seeks to ensure that Bihar voters currently residing and working in Haryana can participate in what party representatives describe as the "festival of democracy." According to BJP leaders, this effort aims both to empower migrant voters and to secure a high voter turnout for the party.

A high-ranking Haryana BJP official revealed to NDTV that the party has identified a substantial population of Bihari migrants across 10 districts, primarily concentrated in the state's manufacturing hubs.

"The majority of these voters work as factory employees in Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat, Panipat, and Karnal. We maintain regular communication with over 100,000 of them. Our objective is straightforward: to ensure they reach Bihar in time to cast their votes," the party representative explained.

Panipat alone is estimated to have nearly 25,000 voters from Bihar. While several thousand have transferred their voter registration to Haryana through the Special Intensive Revision process, the vast majority remain registered in their original constituencies in Bihar.

To facilitate smooth coordination, the party is deploying more than 500 'Vistarakas' (campaign volunteers) from Panipat to Bihar. These workers will interact with voters and assist with travel and accommodation arrangements.

Leading Haryana BJP officials are closely overseeing the logistics. Special buses are expected to begin transporting workers from industrial zones to Bihar starting November 1 or 2. Return transportation is also being arranged to minimize disruption to their employment.

The party has enlisted support from factory owners, requesting that workers from Bihar be granted paid leave to travel home for voting, an initiative aimed at removing one of the primary obstacles to migrant participation.

Emphasizing the operation's importance, approximately 50 senior leaders and ministers from Haryana, including Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar and state ministers Vipul Goyal and Rao Narbir Singh, have received special assignments for the Bihar campaign.

According to sources, half of these officials are already positioned in Bihar to coordinate efforts on the ground and leverage the influence of the migrant voter base.

The Haryana government has also enhanced its outreach to the Bihari community within the state. In preparation for Chhath Puja, Chief Minister Nayab Saini has instructed district administrations to make comprehensive arrangements in Gurugram, Faridabad, and Panchkula, including lighting, sanitation, crowd management, and security at ghats.

Party leaders indicate that this initiative aligns with the BJP's broader strategy to establish emotional and cultural connections with the migrant population, many of whom consider Chhath an essential aspect of their identity.

This mobilization highlights a growing political recognition that migrant workers represent a crucial electoral demographic capable of influencing results in key constituencies.

By connecting workplace and hometown voting locations, the Haryana BJP aims to transform logistical coordination into electoral advantage and potentially establish a new paradigm for how political parties engage with India's extensive migrant electorate.