Amit Shah to review poll preparations in Telangana on July 13

HYDERABAD: BJP chief Amit Shah would take stock of the party's preparations for the simultaneous polls to Lok Sabha and Telangana legislative assembly during a visit to the city on July 13.

"He (Shah) is focusing on how to win 2019 elections to assembly and Parliament. He is going to guide us and he will review the entire situation of Telangana — political and social — and BJP's grassroots level strength," state BJP president K Laxman said on Tuesday.

Laxman, who has recently undertaken a 14-day 'Jana Chaitanya Yatra' on a 'rath' in several districts of the state, said the party is targeting to win two-digit Lok Sabha seats in the state. There are 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

It aims to come to power in the 2019 Telangana Legislative assembly polls (which would be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections), he said.

The BJP has already announced that it would go it alone in Telangana in the 2019 elections. The party contested in alliance with its estranged ally TDP in 2014.

BJP has one Lok Sabha member and five MLAs in Telangana at present.

Amit Shah would give a roadmap to the party's state unit for the ensuing elections and the national president's visit would give a "big boost" to the party in Telangana, he said.

Laxman, who participated in a 'Meet the Press' organised by Telangana Journalists Union, claimed that his yatra received a massive response from the people.

The way state ministers and ruling TRS MLAs allegedly tried to belittle the yatra showed its success, he said.

Accusing the ruling TRS of corruption and failures on various fronts, he dismissed queries on any clandestine understanding for BJP with the TRS.