New Delhi: Top BJP leaders on Saturday discussed the preparations for the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Assembly elections in these states are slated for early next year.
As per BJP leaders, Party president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan were among those who attended the meeting.
Main agenda of the meeting
A party leader said, “Preparation for the assembly polls in five states was the main agenda of the meeting”.
Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Mansukh Mandaviya and Hardeep Singh Puri, besides BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav and its vice president Baijyant Jay Panda also attended the meeting.
Out of the five poll bound states, BJP is in power in all these states except Punjab. Uttar Pradesh is especially crucial to the BJP’s political fortunes as the party has been the dominant power in the country’s most populous state since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led it to power at the Centre in 2014.
Infighting in poll bound states major concern for BJP
Meanwhile, infighting and discontent in the poll bound state units are turning out to be a major concern for the BJP than the opposition parties.
Senior national party leaders are trying to resolve the differences within the party units in these states.
A senior leader said that this infighting and discontentment in local units especially in the poll bound Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Punjab need to be addressed at the earliest as it might affect party’s poll prospects and preparations.
“Next year’s polls in Uttar Pradesh and other states will set the momentum for the next general elections in 2024. Party’s performance in Uttar Pradesh and other states is crucial for the 2024 rerun, so everyone will be brought to the same page ahead of state assembly polls. Party is concerned and taking measures to address the infighting or differences in all the local units,” he said.