BDP focuses on 12 constituencies
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday May 7, 2014 10:50
These constituencies are Ngami, Francistown East, Francistown South, Bobirwa, Selebi-Phikwe East, Selebi-Phikwe West, Kgatleng East (Mochudi East), Gaborone North, Gaborone South, South East North (Tlokweng), South East South (Ramotswa) and Letlhakeng East (Letlhakeng-Lephephe).
Out of the 12, BDP had won only six in the 2009 general elections, and these are Francistown East, Francistown South, Selebi-Phikwe East, Gaborone South, South East South and Letlhakeng East.
The ruling party later lost the Francistown South constituency after Member of Parliament Wynter Mmolotsi defected with the seat to the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).
Though they enjoy incumbency, the BDP strategic team feels that the margins in some of the identified constituency is too small, and therefore risk being lost.
A BDP insider told Mmegi that the party strategic team has revealed that the 12 constituencies need extra resources to win in the October elections.
“These constituencies are likely going to have two campaign managers or be assisted with another vehicle if there is need. They will report any problems that they are facing to Strategic Team chairperson Vincent Seretse so that he can assist on how it can be resolved,” the source revealed.
He said the issues that campaign managers will encounter during the campaign period, especially in the three to two months period leading to the elections, will be quickly dealt with. The strategic team will also be allowed to work extra hours.
The communication committee is also said to be engaged to help the party to be visible by reporting or calling the media to give it up dates on events that happen in their party.
The BDP secretary general Mpho Balopi, confirmed that indeed there were constituencies that the party is concerned about. He said though he does not have the number, the targeted constituencies would need more work than others because some belong to opposition parties or they had won them for a long time.
“We have been clear that we want to win 57 constituencies. We will do anything in our power to win all constituencies that are currently held by opposition parties and retain those that we had previously won,” he said.