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Membership drive key to party's plan in non-BJP states

Amit Shah has asked the state leaders to prepare for every seat in assembly elections.

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A fortnight after assigning union ministers to pay "special attention" to each of the seven states where the BJP is politically limp, party president Amit Shah has asked the state leaders to prepare for every seat in assembly elections.

The BJP is counting on membership drive figures to assess the party's sway in these states -- West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. Of these, four are heading for assembly elections in 2016. With the party's overall membership figure crossing eight crore, the party is hoping to cross the record of the Communist Party of China.

Shah, who listened most of the time in the series of meetings over tea with leaders of these states at 11,Ashok Road, has asked them to begin the process of identifying candidates from within the party as well as potential candidates from outside, particularly in states like Kerala where BJP has never won an election, sources said. The party chief's message was clear -- strengthen the party on the ground to make inroads before exploring possibilities of alliances. He emphasised on the BJP posing as an alternative to state parties.

"There is no question of going with DMK or AIADMK. We should be alternative to both," said senior party leader from Tamil Nadu L Ganesan. State BJP chief Tamilisai Soundararajan, union minister Pon Radhakrishnan and CP Radhakrishnan were also present at the meeting on Tuesday.

The party's membership figure has crossed 21 lakh though it is still short of the 60 lakh target set for the state. In Kerala too the membership figure has crossed 21 lakh, but it is likely to reach the target of 25 lakh. The BJP is hoping that the membership will translate into long-term support for the party.

"The CPM and Congress are getting marginalised which is a positive signal for us. We should capitalise on that," said the party's Kerala unit chief V Muraleedharan. Before the assembly poll next year, the party's strength will be tested in the local body elections.

Shah asked about the violence in the state's Kannur district and said the state unit to expose the role of the CPM. He also told the state units to unitedly pull out all the stops to begin the fight from the panchayat level. For the BJP which has failed to win a single seat in the state, Kerala poses a challenge. The party chief met the Odisha state leaders on Thursday and is expected to continue the exercise with Telangana and Andhra Pradesh next week.


 

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