BJP to launch UP poll campaign with National Executive meet

Lucknow, Dec 14 (UNI) Smelling the sucess -- though a moderate one -- in the recently held civic polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party is leaving no stone unturned to make a grand success the National Executive meeting in the state capital on December 22 and 23.

With state assembly polls round the corner, the BJP plans to make use of the occasion to launch an agressive assembly poll campaign in the presence of almost the entire party leadership.

The occasion assumes more importance since the BJP's National President Rajnath Singh hails from UP which hosts the National Executive.

Besides Mr Rajnath Singh, former Prime Minister and senior party leader Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani, M Venkaiah Naidu, Ms Sushma Swaraj, Mr Kalyan Singh and other senior leaders would be present here to give direction to the party which had performed much below par in the last assmebly polls.

Rajnath Singh, under whose chief ministership the party had performed miserably in 2001, has more than a point to prove in his favour. Already dubbed as 'lucky' for the party by Mr Vajpayee recently, the BJP has to strive hard to stage a come back in the state like UP.

National Executive meeting coupled with National Council meeting of the party would be followed by a massive rally in the state capital to be addressed by Mr Vajpayee, Mr Advani and Mr Singh along with other senior leaders.

The state BJP President Kesari Nath Tripathi said the party was definitely on the come back trail and this spirit would be reflected during the party's functions later this month. The occasion would show case the future optimism of the party as well as spell out its strategy for the coming polls, he told UNI.

The state party unit has been working overtime to make preparations for the mega-event being seen as the truning point for the party prospects in the state.

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