ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the problems and prospects of the Bharatiya Jana in terms of framing issue-specific and ideology-centric policies during 1957 to 1967. While examining the language policy of the party, coalition opportunities in the states and the strategies used for ethno-religious mass mobilization, this chapter outlines the party’s preoccupation with upper-caste Hindu interests when framing its electoral initiatives. The limitations of its preferred mass mobilization strategy prompted the Jana Sangh to look for a fresh approach catering to the needs of the masses and the elites from the early sixties, and the Jana Sangh managed to appeal to the marginal groups. This chapter intents to build its narratives by highlighting the factional viewpoints present inside the party on the issues of approaching the masses, thus setting the context for the fresh streams of thought appeared after the Vijayawada session of 1965. Other than the policy-oriented factors, this chapter offers some useful interpretations of the ideological conflicts at the top and their subsequent implications on the conditions under which a regimented party could aspire to win the election.
