With eye on UP polls, BJP brass to brainstorm at Allahabad

With assembly polls due in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP leadership will brainstorm here on June 12-13 to chalk out a strategy to take power in the country's most populous state next year.

The broad idea is to highlight the achievements of the Narendra Modi government in the last two years and the alleged corruption of the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's National Executive will be formally opened by Prime Minister Modi and BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday, followed by the presidential address.

BJP office bearers will meet earlier to set the agenda.

The two-day conclave is likely to pass a political and an economic resolutions, the latter focussing on agriculture.

"There is goonda raj in Uttar Pradesh under Akhilesh Yadav. The cocktail politics of Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal have ruined the state," BJP national secretary Srikant Sharma told IANS.

"We will be giving a call to end this goonda raj," he added.

The meeting will also discuss what the BJP says is the deteriorating law and order, corruption and misrule in Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister will address a Parivartan Rally in Allahabad as soon as the National Executive concludes on Monday.

The BJP leader said the achievements of the Modi government would be highlighted, with special focus on the economy and agriculture and what Sharma described as the emergence of Modi as a world leader.

"Despite global slowdown, we succeeded in achieving GDP rate of over 7 per cent. In addition, Modiji has emerged as a 'nayak' after the most recent five-nation tour," Sharma said.

The Allahabad meeting -- dubbed a "manthan" -- may come up with a catchy slogan for the UP electoral battle. This could be: "Mera desh badal raha hai, ab UP ki baari hai."

This is meant to counter the Samajwadi Party's "Pure hue vade, ab hai naye iraade."

The National Executive will commence its meeting after Modi arrives and it will continue till Monday afternoon.

The gathering is taking place amid speculation that Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to be projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh.

Rajnath Singh has denied the possibility. BJP sources said the issue was not likely to figure in Allahabad.

The BJP won an incredible 71 of the 80 seats from Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Two seats went to its ally, Apna Dal. The Samajwadi Party could win only five seats while the Congress managed two. The BSP was wiped out.

The BJP's aim is to maintain that momentum and return to power in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh.

--IANS

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