Ahead of state polls, Amit Shah meets BJP leaders to discuss strategy

Party president Amit Shah, who is also the Union home minister, held a brainstorming session with the BJP leadership in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Delhi in the national capital to take stock of their election preparedness and decide poll strategy.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday asked its leadership in four poll-bound states to focus on the election campaign and identify weak links within the organization and outside that could potentially create trouble for the party, two BJP leaders said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday asked its leadership in four poll-bound states to focus on the election campaign and identify weak links within the organization and outside that could potentially create trouble for the party, two BJP leaders said. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Party president Amit Shah, who is also the Union home minister, held a brainstorming session with the BJP leadership in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Delhi in the national capital to take stock of their election preparedness and decide poll strategy.

Maharashtra and Haryana will go to the polls in October, Jharkhand in December and Delhi in February.

“We will face election in Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand under the leadership of current chief ministers,” the first BJP leader said, requesting anonymity. “All these CMs have a good image and we want to utilise this advantage.”

“The BJP leaders from these states were told to create a positive campaign centred around the achievements of the state and the central governments,” the second leader said.

Shah advised the state leaders against complacence and suggested that states do a comprehensive study of the weak links within the organization and outside, such as geographical areas and communities who did not support the BJP in previous elections, and work overtime to correct them. Every state has a different character and the party strategy should be formulated accordingly, he said.

Union ministers Prakash Javadekar and Narendra Singh Tomar, the BJP’s election in-charge for Delhi and Haryana respectively, and party general secretary Bhupender Yadav and vice president Om Mathur were among those who attended the meeting. Yadav and Mathur are overseeing the elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand respectively.

BJP working president J P Nadda and general secretary (organization) B L Santosh also attended the session.