Strengthen party at grassroots level: BJP chief tells workers

With elections to the Lok Sabha looming large, BJP national president Amit Shah asked the party cadre to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level.

Shah held a marathon meeting of booth-level workers of the party from Maharashtra and Goa in Mumbai on Sunday. It was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, state unit chief Raosaheb Danve Patil, and senior functionaries.

Reports said Shah told booth-level workers that the party leadership would take the decision on an alliance with the Shiv Sena, and asked the cadre to be ready to face the elections on their own strength.

BJP sources said Shah exhorted party workers to work hard to win the 2019 elections, strengthen the BJP at the grassroots and ensure that government schemes reach the masses. Booth-level functionaries were also asked to work honestly for the party, and stay in touch with people, including through social media networks like WhatsApp groups.

The BJP is aiming at creating a network of 25 activists in each of the around 91,000 electoral booths in Maharashtra.

A senior BJP leader said Shah had asked booth level workers to keep a fleet of around five bikes ready in every booth to be used for organisational work and for bike rallies during the elections.