Have to win all 9 state polls: JP Nadda at BJP Executive Meeting

Apart from the Prime Minister and BJP President JP Nadda, 35 Union Ministers, 12 Chief Ministers, and 37 regional heads are attending the two-day national executive meet.

New Delhi, Jan 16: BJP has to win all nine state assembly polls in 2023 and then the 2024 general elections, the party chief said during the first day of the National Executive meeting held in New Delhi on Monday.

"BJP chief JP Nadda said in the National Executive meeting that 2023 is very important and we have to fight and win nine state elections this year and then general elections in 2024," ANI quoted senior BJP leader and former union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad as saying.

"BJP chief also discussed recently concluded polls and that Gujarat's victory was historic and unprecedented. About Himachal polls, he said that we were supposed to change the tradition of changing government but we could not do that," he said.

According to Prasad, 72,000 booths from 100 Lok Sabha constituencies were identified as weak and the party had to reach. "But reached 1.30 lakh booths and make people aware of the policies of the party," Prasad said. The former union minister said that the BJP chief stressed on the Panch Pran given by PM Modi which includes freedom from traces of the colonial past, holding pride in Indian tradition, commitment to making a developed India, unity in diversity, and making citizens responsible towards the nation.

The saffron party will organise a grand programme in February to mark the completion of 200 years of Dayanand Saraswati, Ravi Shankar Prasad said. He pointed out that Nadda highlighted the work culture of New India citing the example of the COVID vaccination programme.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused the Opposition of continuously running negative campaigns against BJP and using abusive language to attack the Prime Minister on many issues like Pegasus, Rafael deal, Enforcement Directorate money laundering, Central Vista, Economic bases-reservations and demonetization.

"All these cases were fought in court and judgement has been in favour of the central government. The Supreme Court crushed Opposition's negative campaigns and exposed them through legal responses," Sitharaman said. On being asked whether any discussions were held on the extension of BJP national president JP Nadda's tenure at the national executive meeting today, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said "No discussion was held on that."

Apart from the Prime Minister, 35 Union Ministers, 12 Chief Ministers, and 37 regional heads are attending the two-day National Executive Meet.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a grand roadshow in Delhi as the party's two-day national executive began in Delhi on Monday.

The roadshow was kicked off from Patel Chowk, then headed towards Parliament Street in the national capital as enthused BJP workers and supporters lined the roads to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People showered PM Modi with flower petals and chanted slogans in his support.

Huge cutouts of PM were placed along the road and also posters highlighting various initiatives of his government and India's presidency of the G20 were spotted. Folk artistes from several states performed on some of them, while others blared patriotic songs, according to a PTI report.