New Delhi: The BJP is gearing up for polls in Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Kushinagar and other key political hubs in the state.
At a crucial meeting of the party's 'election war room' at the Ashoka Road office, BJP president J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and party general secretary B. L. Santhosh and others held a crucial meeting on Monday (October 11) and decided to organise '100 programmes in 100 days'.
In the earlier Lok Sabha elections (2014 and 2019), the saffron party's good performance in the country's most populous state had helped to capture power in Delhi (central government).
"Next time in 2024 too, it cannot be an exception. The UP assembly elections are thus politically significant in more ways than one," a source said.
The BJP would also be holding 200 OBC sammelans or meetings, rallies and strategy meetings in the state.
As of now, a tentative plan has been drawn for the possible visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kushinagar and other places.
Similarly, Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Kanpur, and the party chief Nadda could attend a poll-related event at Gorakhpur.
Kushinagar has political importance of its own. The BJP won the Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019. But in 2009, it went to Congress nominee RPN Singh. At present, the Kushinagar Lok Sabha constituency comprises five assembly segments. They are Khadda, Padrauna, Kushinagar, Hata and Ramkola SC reserved constituencies.
Sources point out that Kushinagar is an important Buddhist Circuit hub in eastern Uttar Pradesh, not far from Bihar borders. Kushinagar has an old airstrip over 97 acres to handle small aircraft, but an international airport was planned to facilitate more global tourists.
Prime Minister Modi is also likely to inaugurate the Kushinagar International Airport on October 20 in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Sources said that Mr Modi would also lay the foundation stone of a medical college at Kushinagar and address a public rally.
Various pros and cons related to farmers' agitation were also discussed at the meeting, which was also attended by BJP's poll in-charge for UP, Dharmendra Pradhan, Former Union Minister Radhamohan Singh, State unit president Swatantar Dev Singh party general secretary Sunil Bansal.
The 'Brahmin caste' equation also holds significance in UP politics, and accordingly, the party has roped in former Congress leader Jitin Prasada. The 47-year-old former Union minister comes from a renowned Brahmin family of Uttar Pradesh. Prasada has been made Minister for Technical Education.
In 2017, giving a shocker to its rivals, the BJP had stormed into power in UP after a long gap, winning 324 seats out of 403. As part of the strategy, the party is likely to focus on 100 assembly segments where the party has organisational weaknesses.
The party has decided to direct state-level leaders and elected MPs and MLAs, especially to reach out to the beneficiaries of various central and state-sponsored schemes. The social network campaign will also be streamlined, sources said.
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