BJP leaders to campaign in HP after Gujarat

New Delhi, Dec 14 (UNI) Finished with their campaign in the Assembly elections in Gujarat, the top BJP leadership are now all set to descend on Himachal Pradesh to canvass support for party candidates for the second phase of Assembly elections on December 19.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani, BJP President Rajnath Singh and senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, besides star campaigners Shatrughan Sinha and Hema Malini, will be addressing the poll rallies at various places in support of the party candidates in the election to 65 assembly seats.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will be joining the BJP leaders and the campaign would focus on failure of the state administration in checking corruption, maladministration, price rise and rising unemployment.

The leaders, who were hitherto on the defensive seeking votes for the incumbent government in Gujarat, will now be changing their arguments asking the voters to support the change of administration in Himachal Pradesh.

The party has projected its Lok Sabha MP P K Dhumal as its chief ministerial candidate. The campaigning will end on the evening on December 17.

Mr Advani, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and Mr Venkaiah Naidu have all done one round of campaign meetings in the first phase where elections were held on November 14 in three constituencies following inclement weather in the regions.

UNI