BJP to prepare its blueprint for polls

New Delhi, May 31: Emboldened by the party's success in Karnataka culminating in the launch of the first ever BJP Government in the South, the BJP Working Committee meets here tomorrow for two days to review its preparedness for the coming assembly elections in 2008 and the next Lok Sabha elections.

The party's about 200-member National Executive and special invitees would finetune the strategy to retain power in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi going to polls later this year. While the party is faced with braving the incumbency factor in the three states ruled by it--MP,Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh--it would make every effort to snatch power from the Congress in Delhi where the Congress has been holding fort for the past ten years.

"The Executive will move ahead with its twin objectives of Vijay Sankalp and Rashtra Nirman (Pledge of victory and Nation building)," BJP Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said added.

The deliberations will begin at Parliament Annexe with Party President Rajnath Singh, in his inaugural address, specifying the party's priorities and programmes, keeping in view the coming elections. In his speech, he is also likely to attack the UPA Government for its allround failure on all fronts and ask the cadre to exploit this UPA's weaknesses fully in the coming elections.

This will be followed by presidents of the party's state units, particularly of those states going to polls, presenting their report explaining the party's position and poll preparedness.

Mr Naqvi said the Executive would adopt three resolutions--political situation, price rise and inflation, and another on the foreign policy concerning neighbouring countries.

In the political resolution, the party will outline its agitational programme to expose the UPA government and its stepmotherly treatment towards the BJP-ruled states.

The party in this resolution is also likely to clarify its stand on the Gujjar agitation in Rajasthan which has already claimed about 30 lives and the Centre's non-cooperation over the issue.

The party wants the Centre to takes pragmatic steps on the letter of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. The Executive will also discuss ways of finding a solution through discussions.

This meet was originally scheduled to be held in Jaipur but the venue got shifted to Delhi following the the Gujjar agitation demanding Scheduled Tribes status.

Top BJP leaders L K Advani, Jaswant Singh and former BJP Presidents Murli Manohar Joshi and M Venkaiah Naidu, Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers and senior ministers of 11 BJP and NDA ruled states would be present at the meet.

State party Presidents, General Secretaries (Organisation) and Leaders of Opposition where the party was not in power would also be there.

UNI