BJP to draw on experience of veterans in Assembly elections

NEW DELHI:  The BJP national office bearers meeting on Sunday in the national capital will aim to capitalise on party’s resources for the upcoming polls in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Assam and West Bengal.  The BJP is gearing up to make full use of the election veterans from the party ranks. The BJP leaders maintain that the rising petrol and diesel prices along with the farmers’ agitation could pose serious challenges for the party in the state polls. 

On Sunday, BJP chief JP Nadda will preside over the national office bearer’s meeting in which the chiefs of the state units and organisational secretaries were invited. BJP national general secretary Arun Singh, in a letter to the state chiefs, has called for reports on organisational issues.

 “The state elections are very crucial for the BJP because they will set the tone for big elections in the BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Also, the BJP’s Mission South will be tested,” said a senior BJP functionary.

Nadda is likely to call upon the election veterans from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh to camp in Assam and Bengal. On the same line, the BJP poll veterans from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra will be asked to camp in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

“The BJP has a large group of leaders who have rich experiences in managing elections at the polling booth levels. Such leaders are well acquainted with the demography of the bound states,” said another BJP functionary.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are likely to ask the BJP leaders to take the “pro-people” budget proposals and achievements to the electorate. The senior leaders are also likely to call upon the state functionaries to be more proactive in countering the opposition campaign against the farm laws.