UP BJP shifts into pre-election mode

LUCKNOW: While the opposition parties are still dithering from announcing their alliance, BJP is shifting into pre-election mode from next month and will be convening executive committee meetings of its various wings to decide the agenda and programmes ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Top UP BJP sources said that the chiefs of various fronts, including OBC and SC/ ST Morchas, have been asked to come up with a plan of action to counter SP-BSP combine that appears threatening in the politically crucial state.The two wings have assumed considerable importance since they can build perception in Dalit and MBC dominated pockets.
The SC/ST wing has been asked to publicize the recent legislation that restored SC/ST Act after Supreme Court’s verdict imposed restrictions on arrest under the act. The party has directed the OBC Morcha functionaries to hold sub-caste-wise meetings in districts after the party held caste-wise conventions, named Samajik Pratinidhi Baithak, over a period of nearly two months.
UP BJP vice-president JPS Rathore told TOI that party functionaries have been asked to organise district meetings with booth-level functionaries. “The idea is to take feedback on ongoing schemes and set targets for others. These steps will provide a strong platform to national leadership for launching a full-fledged campaign later this year,” Rathore said. Informed sources said that party functionaries have been told to hold meetings with nearly all 1.5 lakh booth level committees, each comprising 21 members.
“A set task has been assigned to each member of the committee,” said UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak. “The booth level workers will also hold small public meetings in their areas to discuss problems of people. This will also give us a fair idea of the impact and percolation of benefits of central and state government schemes,” he added.
The party will also hold discussions around PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address. Pathak said that party workers would assemble people and share PM Modi’s ideas with them.
The party workers have also been asked to wean away SP and BSP workers and get them posted suitably in party, an idea mooted by BJP chief Amit Shah at the state executive meeting in Meerut where he gave a call for ‘Congress Mukt Booth’, said sources.