Newly elected BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday held meetings with the party units in poll-bound States of Maharashtra and Jharkhand to formulate party’s strategy and held consultations with the State and central leaders.
Shah was appointed as the new party chief on July 9 after Rajnath Singh relinquished his charge on joining the Government. The new party chief told the State units to ensure the party’s victory on the same lines that ensured in the lok Sabha polls. In his first important meeting after taking over reins of the party organisation, he said the process of selecting the party candidates in both the States and preparing the party’s strategy for the upcoming polls would be initiated soon.
Maharashtra Assembly polls are due later this year while Jharkhand is slated for assembly polls early next year. BJP is trying to win control of both the States from the Congress and other parties in alliance with it. While the Congress and the NCP are in power in Maharashtra, the JMM, along with the RJD and the Congress, is in power in Jharkhand.
Shah will hold similar meetings on Wednesday with its Haryana and J&K units where Assembly elections are due later this year and early next year respectively.
Among others who attended the meetings were party general secretary (Organisation) Ramlal, party general secretary JP Nadda, joint secretary (organisation) Saudan Singh and Ram Madhav, a former RSS leader who has been asked by the Sangh to join the BJP.
The meeting on Jharkhand was also attended by former State Chief Minister Arjun Munda and State unit president Ravinder Kumar Rai, party’s in-charge of the State unit Vinod Pandey and senior state party leader Rajindra Singh.
The meeting relating to Maharashtra was also attended by the party’s in-charge of Maharashtra affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the party’s State unit chief Devendra Fadnavis, leader of Opposition in Maharashtra legislative Council Vinod Tawde and senior party leader V Satish.
Even before his election as president of the BJP , Shah was seen within the party as a leader who could bring a turn around in the election results of the poll-bound states as he did in Uttar Pradesh where party won 71 and with allies 73 lok Sabha seats in the lok Sabha polls.