Rajnath to meet BJP core groups of northern states

With infighting and factionalism plaguing some state units of BJP, party president Rajnath Singh is set to meet core groups of four states and a Union Territory in the northern region to boost party's prospect ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Singh will hold separate meetings with party's core groups of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Chandigarh during his two-day visit here beginning today, a senior BJP leader said.
"These will be closed-door discussions, where leaders attending the meetings will be heard and the party chief will issue directions to ensure BJP's success in the polls," the leader said, adding that Singh is likely to meet Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal tomorrow.

The region represents 34 seats in Lok Sabha -- 13 in Punjab, 10 in Haryana, one in Chandigarh, four in Himachal Pradesh and six in Jammu and Kashmir -- and it is crucial for the BJP to maximise its hold, party sources said.
According to BJP Chandigarh unit president Sanjay Tandon, Singh will meet city unit leaders here this evening and speak to Haryana unit leaders tomorrow morning followed by a meeting with the J&K leadership.
"In the afternoon, Rajnathji will address a press conference here, which will be followed by a two-hour meeting with the party's Himachal unit," Tandon said.

The BJP chief will hold another two-hour meeting with the Punjab leadership tomorrow evening before leaving for Delhi.

Party sources said recent outbursts of BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu against senior SAD leadership is likely to figure in Rajnath Singh's meeting with the party brass.
49-year-old Sidhu, who met Singh in Delhi on Saturday, had submitted a list of his grievances.
Sources said the cricketer-turned-politician would attend the party's core committee meeting here tomorrow.