BJP gives call for 'mission 175' for Bihar Assembly polls

Buoyed by its landslide victory in recent Parliamentary elections in Bihar, BJP today gave a call for "Mission 175" to come to power in the state in the Assembly polls next year.

"We should win at least 175 seats in the Bihar Assembly polls next year," BJP national organisation General Secretary Ramlal said addressing a two-day state party executive meeting which started on Saturday. "We could have set a target of 122 seats (required to come to power in the 243-member Bihar House)...but we want two-third majority to provide strong and good government," he said at the meeting aimed at drawing strategy for the crucial Assembly polls. He said the target was achievable as BJP led in over 175 Assembly segments in the state in the recent Lok Sabha poll in the state. Riding on the Narendra Modi wave, BJP won 22 seats of the total of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar while its ally LJP won 6 and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party 3 to take the tally to 31.

The BJP executive committee meeting is being attended by Union Ministers Radhamohan Singh, Ravishankar Prasad, newly elected MPs including actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha, Giriraj Singh, Ramkripal Yadav and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Nand Kishore Yadav, among others. Ramlal, a representative of RSS in BJP, said the meeting should be construed as beginning of preparation for Assembly polls in Bihar. He slammed JD(U) for its proximity with RJD and exhorted party workers to make people aware that BJP was the only option that could provide good governance.