Meetings, tours as BJP leaders gear up to win Assembly polls in 5 states

NEW DELHI: The BJP top leadership is pulling out all stops to win the forthcoming assembly elections in five states. Senior leaders including union ministers have started visiting the poll bound states to discuss strategy with the state units.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held in February-March next year. Bharatiya Janata Party chief J P Nadda has already visited Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. To discuss the party's future plans and strategy for the polls, the BJP has convened the party's national executive committee, the highest decision making body on November 7 where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the top leadership of the BJP will be present.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday launched the poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh and on Saturday he will be launching the BJP's campaign in Uttarakhand. On Friday, Shah kicked-off the BJP's membership drive — "Mera Pariwar, Bhajpa Pariwar" (my family, BJP family) in Lucknow during which the party aims to enrol over 1.5 crore new members in the state. As of now, the BJP has over 2.5 crore members in Uttar Pradesh. The membership drive will continue till December.

The BJP's election in-charge for Uttar Pradesh and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan and co-incharge Union minister Anurag Thakur were also present in Lucknow. It is learnt that Amit Shah discussed the BJP's poll preparedness with the Uttar Pradesh leadership. On Saturday, Shah will be in Uttarakhand and will launch the election campaign with a public rally.

Uttarakhand BJP vice president Devendra Bhasin told IANS that Shah will inaugurate the Mukhyamantri Ghasiyari Kalyan Yojana (MGKY) of the Uttarakhand government.

"Shah will launch MGKY and launch the BJP campaign with a public rally in Dehradun. He will also meet the state leadership to take stock of the party's poll preparedness. He will guide the state unit," Bhasin said. Uttarakhand election in-charge and Union minister Pralhad Joshi had visited the state with election co-incharge MP Locket Chatterjee and R P Singh.

In Punjab the BJP is contesting alone after the Shiromani Akali Dal walked away from the alliance over the new farm laws. On Thursday, Punjab election in-charge and Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat kicked-off the party campaign with the slogan "Nawa Punjab BJP de naal" (New Punjab with the BJP). Shekhawat also held a strategy discussion with the leaders of the Punjab unit. Union ministers and Punjab election co-incharge Hardeep Singh Puri and Meenakshi Lekhi, and state in-charge and national general secretary Dushyant Gautam were also present in the meeting. The BJP central leadership has already held five meetings with the Punjab unit in Delhi.

Earlier this month Shah had also visited Goa. He laid the foundation of the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and also met party leaders. Former Maharashtra chief minister and election in-charge for Goa Devendra Fadnavis has also held a meeting with the state leadership to take stock of the preparedness.

In Goa, the BJP will be contesting the first election after the death of former defence minister Manohar Parrikar, one of the tallest leaders of the party in the state. The BJP is facing challenges from Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress along with the Congress party in the state.

On Friday, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh discussed the role and plans of the party's youth wing. BJP youth wing national president and Lok Sabha member Tejasvi Surya and other office bearers were present in the meeting. (IANS)

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