Shah, Nadda hold meet to firm up Raj strategy

Union home minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda held a series of meetings with Rajasthan unit leaders over two days on Wednesday and Thursday, discussing strategy for the upcoming elections and asking local leaders to set aside differences, party functionaries said on Thursday

- Urvashi Dev Rawal

Elections to the 200-member Rajasthan assembly are scheduled for later this year.

In meetings that lasted till 2am on Wednesday and finally ended on Thursday noon, Shah and Nadda discussed the party's poll campaign and ticket distribution, and sought feedback from state leaders, including former chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Talks focussed on the strategy to win 95 assembly seats where the party is seen as relatively weak and the possibility of fielding 33% women candidates in the upcoming polls, party functionaries said.

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said wide-ranging issues were discussed in the meeting. "The discussions were comprehensive and ranged from the situation in the state to the challenges, strategy, caste and political equations and what the campaign will focus on in the coming days," he added.

Both Shah and Nadda emphasised on organisational unity, asking state unit leaders to put the party before self and work together to ensure victory in the elections, a senior party functionary who attended the meetings said. "The central leaders flagged issues of concern such as reports of thin crowds at some places du ing the [recently concluded] Parivartan yatra," the senior leader said, requesting anonymity.