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UP elections: Focus on Ayodhya, Kashi govt schemes, Shah tells BJP office bearers
The Union home minister has directed BJP leaders to prepare a list of projections of the party’s performance on each seat in both the regions--Kashi and Gorakhpur-for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
With just a few months left for the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Union home minister Amit Shah has directed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearers in Kashi and Gorakhpur regions to keep their election campaign centred around Ayodhya and Varanasi, and on the government’s development schemes, party functionaries familiar with the matter said.
The directions were given when Shah, who arrived for a day’s visit in Varanasi on Tuesday, held a two-hour meeting with party office-bearers of the two regions.
During the meeting, the Union minister directed the leaders to prepare a list of projections of the party’s performance on each seat in both the regions. He asked them to classify all the seats as A (seats on which BJP’s win is sure), B (seats on which there is a fight) and C (seats on which the party is not in a strong position, and thus, need more attention), a functionary said on condition of anonymity. “Kashi and Ayodhya should be kept in the centre during campaigning,” the functionary quoted Shah as saying.
The state government has undertaken various development projects in the two religious sites. While the construction of the Ram Temple is underway in Ayodhya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13 inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath corridor to transform the pilgrims’ experience of the temple town.
Shah also told the office bearers to ensure that a meeting of party workers was held in every mandal (area comprising several mohallas) in each Vidhan Sabha, as per schedule, and participation of booth-level workers in those meetings.
“People from every section of the society should be connected to the party. Rallies must be held in the assembly constituencies and a good atmosphere should be created in favour of the party,” the functionary quoted Shah as saying.
The home minister also said that booth level workers should hold regular talks with people in their areas and apprise them of the various schemes and developmental works carried out by the party in the state and at the Centre.
Among those present in the meeting were BJP Kashi region president Mahesh Chandra Srivastava, in-charge Subrata Pathak, state co-in-charge Sunil Ojha, election co-in-charge Saroj Pandey, state vice president Laxman Acharya and Goraksh region president Dharmendra Singh.
Prior to meeting office bearers, Shah held a meeting with deputy chief ministers Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya at the Circuit House, where he stressed on synergy between the government and the organisation (party).
Samajwadi Party state spokesperson Manoj Rai Dhoopchandi said: “The double engine government of the BJP failed to carry out any development in Uttar Pradesh. That is why, the BJP have started talking about temples just before the election.”
