Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is looking to focus on undecided voters in what it calls "the gray zone" some 10 days out from the high-stakes local elections.

Eager to recapture constituencies, including Istanbul and the capital Ankara, lost to the opposition in 2019, the party has conducted a detailed analysis of results from regions in which it didn’t earn any votes and designed a specific campaign for the said group.

The party, which has more than 11 million members nationwide, is aiming to concentrate its program on strategically key provinces, particularly by assigning small groups to make house calls to establish face-to-face communication. These teams will visit households to speak with bedridden patients or during either sahur and iftar, the sunrise and sundown meals for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The concept is based on party chair and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s frequently used motto that "an election is won in two places: one in the field, on the streets, at homes and workplaces, and the other is in the ballot box."

Notably, AK Party’s women and youth branches are carrying out a program titled "Cooking and sharing with love this Ramadan" which includes visits to student homes, families of martyrs and veterans.

The party members also drop by hospitals, nursing homes and homes of disabled citizens.

After the presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023, the ruling party went into the field to thank their voters for their support. It has since called on citizens who didn’t vote for it to unite under one roof for the "Century of Türkiye" vision, which encapsulates an ambitious set of political, economic, social and cultural innovations, and developments the government aims to accomplish to celebrate Türkiye’s centenary as a republic.

Erdoğan has vowed to deliver "true service municipalism" and save Türkiye from a "whirlpool of failures" after the elections on March 31.

In his party’s election declaration titled "True Municipalism for 'Century of Türkiye' cities," he said AK Party municipalities would serve to ensure productivity, fairness, accessibility and sustainability among other "values."

The AK Party is promising to build disaster-resistant settlements and prepare cities against climate change while implementing infrastructure compatible with digital technologies and projects that will protect culture and bolster local administrations.

In the aftermath of last May’s general elections, which Erdoğan and his ruling People’s Alliance won against a six-party opposition bloc, municipal elections on March 31 look set to be a test of popular support for all competing sides.

The AK Party is running with former Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum for Istanbul, who is challenging the main opposition’s popular Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu.

Winning the districts is also important for the party as it seeks an integrated approach to the city's administration.

The party is relying on Turgut Altınok to win back the capital Ankara from incumbent Mayor Mansur Yavaş of the CHP, which is battling a disarray stoked by scandals and feuds.

Certain bans for the March 31 elections come into effect on Thursday where broadcasting or publishing polls, surveys, predictions and mini referendums to influence voters will be prohibited. The propaganda period ends on Saturday, March 30, for all competing parties, the Supreme Election Council (YSK) said Wednesday.