Gujarat BJP is going all out to woo Scheduled Caste voters ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections. On April 14, the birth anniversary of Baba Saheb Ambedkar, BJP will launch a phone number specifically for Dalit youth to become members of the party by making a missed call to it. Also, the Anusuchit Jati Morcha (SC wing) of the party will hold a cultural event, Bhim Daira (daira is a popular folk song format of Saurashtra), by folk artist Hemant Chauhan in Ahmedabad. Programmes will be organised in all the districts celebrating Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.

“We have seen at least 50% of the SC voters voting for the party in the last elections and now we would want to bring the rest to the party fold and a major membership drive is already underway in this direction,” said Narendra Parmar from Gujarat BJP’s Anusuchit Jati Morcha. The national president of the morcha, Lalsingh Arya, will be present during the launch of the mobile number at the state party headquarters, he added.

Speaking to ET, Parmar said as a part of Ambedkar’s birth anniversary celebrations, there would be “Baba Saheb pujan”, “pushpanjali”, discussion and rallies in all the districts of the state. Folk artist Chauhan, who recently got the Padma Shri award, will be honoured at the function in Ahmedabad.

Chauhan is a known BJP sympathiser. His ‘bhajans’ on Ambedkar have been quite popular in Gujarat.

Meanwhile, on the same day, around 50,000 Dalits from all over Gujarat are expected to renounce Hinduism and embrace Buddhism in another event in Gandhinagar, according to people associated with the Rajkot-based Swayam Sevak Dal, which is organising the event. They have also planned a rally.