BJP core group ponders over candidates

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, March 11

The BJP’s core committee and senior leaders pondered over the poll strategy for the ensuing Lok Sabha elections at Baddi today where a roadmap was also chalked out for effective campaigning.

The meeting was attended by party’s Lok Sabha poll in-charge Tirath Singh Rawat, former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal, CM Jai Ram Thakur, national organisation secretary Ram Lal, state organisation secretary Pawan Rana, state BJP president Satpal Satti, MPs Anurag Thakur, Shanta Kumar, Virender Kashyap and Ramswarup Sharma, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rajiv Bindal, former MLA and chief spokesman Randhir Sharma, general secretaries Chandermohan Thakur, Ram Singh and Kripal Parmar, ministers Dr Rajiv Saizal, Vipin Parmar, Govind Thakur and Virender Kanwar. Union minister JP Nadda, however, failed to make it to the meeting. The meeting was also attended by four Lok Sabha palaks.

Sources said the party will forward a panel of at least four candidates from each of the four Lok Sabha constituencies to the Central election panel as per the directions.

Satti informed that crucial decisions regarding poll campaign, including rallies of senior national and state level leaders at various places in the run up to the May 19 elections, would be finalised.

He said national leaders will be requested to hold rallies in May as they would be busy in other states for the earlier phases of the Lok Sabha elections.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, when quizzed by media persons, said the election candidates would be decided by the Central poll panel and the state government was only concentrating on development of the state.

He said various developmental works undertaken by the Modi-led union government and his government in the last one year would be their main poll plank. He said the Congress will be given a befitting reply on May 23 by the people for questioning the air strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force.

Mangal Pandey, state in-charge, while expressing confidence that the party will retain all four seats said the workers had strengthened the party right till the booth level and the same performance would be repeated again to ensure a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.