Naidu asks BJP workers to be ready for UP polls

Chandigarh, Feb 28 (UNI) After its excellent showing in Punjab and Uttarakhand, the next target of the BJP would be Uttar Pradesh (UP), where assembly elections will be held in April.

''A forward momentum of the BJP has begun and our next target is UP,'' senior BJP leader and former president Venkaiah Naidu said while addressing the newly-elected party legislatures here today.

The push forward began with the local bodies elections in Maharashtra where the BJP performed very well, he said.

Then the victory in Punjab and Uttarakhand elections epitomised the excellent performance of the party, he added.

While warning the workers not to be complacent, Mr Naidu said the BJP should be ready for the UP polls. ''There are various issues like price rise and internal security that needed to be highlighted and brought before people,'' he said.

Mr Naidu felicitated the BJP workers in Punjab for the party's excellent performance that helped it to secure 19 of the 23 assembly seats it contested in alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). This was the best showing by the party in Punjab, surpassing the 1997 performance when it won 18 of the 23 seats in alliance with SAD, he said.

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