By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 11 Nov: Central leaders of BJP have started touring Uttarakhand with greater frequency as the elections are drawing nearer. Today it was the turn of BJP Uttarakhand election in-charge and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to reach Dehradun. State BJP President Madan Kaushik welcomed him at Jolly Grant airport on his arrival today. Later, Joshi also participated in a meeting with the intellectuals of the state in Vikas Nagar this afternoon.
However, his most important programme today was to chair a meeting of former party MLAs as well as those who had held Lal Batti posts in the past. Sources claimed that this meeting was intended to inspire the former MLAs and Lal Batti post holders to work harder in the upcoming elections as well to gauge the political situation in the state from those who had lost elections the last time or those who had held Lal Batti posts. This meeting was held at BJP State Headquarters here at 4 p.m.
Addressing the former MLAs, Joshi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Chief Minister were committed to rapid development of the state and the work done under their guidance had earned the trust of the public. Calling upon them to work harder and with confidence, Joshi claimed that BJP could win more seats in Uttarakhand in the upcoming assembly elections than the last time because of the development work done during past 5 years. He also appreciated the efficient handling of the Corona pandemic by the Uttarakhand Government and added that the economy of the state was also returning on track and well on the path of recovery. The Union Minister said that all the development work of Narendra Modi and BJP government would be the core issue for the party in the upcoming elections and this alone would ensure a thumping majority for the party.
The Union Minister also sought suggestions from former MLAs and the Lal Batti holders regarding the upcoming assembly polls. He called upon them to reach out to the people at the ground level and make them aware of the government’s achievements and to motivate them to go to the polling stations and cast their votes. He said the hard work of the ground level workers and leaders would be a crucial factor in the polls. The main plank of the party would be development and this issue had unnerved the opposition leaders, who were trying to counter this by propagating lies and fake narratives. He claimed that Uttarakhand was moving towards holistic development but the people ought to be fully made aware of this by connecting with them in an effective manner.
BJP State President Madan Kaushik described the last 50 days before the polls as crucial from the point of view of elections and claimed that the party was making good progress. However, everyone had to actively participate in the programmes and make workers aware of the schemes of the Centre and the State so that they can inform the people. He said that, in December, there would be Jan Ashirwad rallies in all the 70 Vidhan Sabha constitutencies.
Sources added that senior BJP leaders from the Centre were being lined up to hold rallies and meetings in the state in the coming days.
