3 min readMumbaiApr 4, 2026 02:47 PM IST
After winning the 2024 Assembly polls and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), along with 28 other local bodies, earlier this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now set its focus on strengthening party organisation in Maharashtra.
In the absence of any impending major election in Maharashtra for the next 3.5 years, the saffron party has launched a massive drive to impart lessons on the BJP’s doctrine of ‘Integral Humanism’ to the youth and newcomers to the party.
Nearly 1,200 ‘prashikshan shivirs’ or training camps, as they are popularly called, have been underway across the state since February 20. The shivirs are a year-long exercise aimed at mobilisation and consolidation at the grassroots.
A senior BJP functionary, who is involved in the training, said on the condition of anonymity, “From the Centre to states, every karyakarta is involved in this mammoth task. The purpose is to educate and inform the cadre about the core ideology and objectives of the BJP. At the same time, we endeavour to expand the organisation wherever we are lacking with greater zeal.”
The top leadership of the party has directed office bearers and trainers to work silently. They are not allowed to take pictures during the sessions or do publicity.
An insider at the state BJP headquarters in Mumbai revealed, “It is an in-house exercise and part of course correction within the organisation.”
A senior politician, who imparted talks at one of the mandals (zones) in Mumbai, said, “Several newcomers get drawn to the BJP for power and politics. But they don’t know the party’s history. They draw a blank when asked about our founders, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. They don’t know the journey of the party and how it has evolved over the decades.
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“Through these training camps, we are appraising them about Deendayal Upadhyaya’s philosophy of ‘Integral Humanism’. At length, we explain what this doctrine is.”
At these sessions, the speakers outline how Integral Humanism (Ekatma Manavad) provides an “indigenous holistic framework and robust alternative to the Western model of capitalism and socialism.”
According to a party source, “Maharashtra BJP has 1.5 crore enrolled members. With a 43-member organisation team led by state party president Ravindra Chavan, we have a perfect structure in place. Yet, the current structure is driven by power and politics. The new members have always seen a strong BJP at the Centre and in the state. They are not aware of the BJP’s struggles and hardships.”
During the training, another subject that is discussed is Emergency (1975-77) and the erstwhile Jan Sangh’s role in fighting it. At least three senior BJP leaders said the Emergency was a turning point in the political history of India and right-wing politics.
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A senior Maharashtra cabinet minister noted that the party is organising training camps also to accomplish its goal of securing an absolute majority on its own in the 2029 Assembly polls. “To accomplish this goal, we have to ensure a 51 per cent vote share. At present, our vote share is 27 per cent,” he added.
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