Fadnavis to kick off BJP's 2-day meet on Bihar polls

Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda and a host of senior party leaders will take part in a two-day virtual meeting starting Saturday to draw strategy for Bihar assembly polls due in October-November, its state chief Sanjay Jaiswal said on Friday.

In addition to Nadda, BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, general secretary Bhupender Yadav, former Maharashtra chief minister and party's Bihar election in-charge Devendra Fadnavis besides deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi will participate in the state executive committee meeting, he said.

Giving details, Jaiswal said, the meet will start with the address of Fadnavis while it will conclude on Sunday with the valedictory speech of Nadda.

Political resolutions will be placed before the participants for approval on the first day of the meet, Jaiswal accompanied by partys state unit general secretary Devesh Kumar, spokesman Rajiv Ranjan and media in-charge Rakesh Kumar Singh, said during media interaction in Patna.

Presence of Fadnavis will be keenly watched in view of recent tug of war between his home state Maharashtra and Bihar over death of Sushant Singh Rajput, a Patna born Bollywood actor.

Assambly elections are due in the state in October-November and the Election Commission has indicated it would go ahead with the electoral exercise notwithstanding concerns expressed by opposition parties and also by National Democratic Alliance partner Lok Janshakti Party that it could lead to further spread of the coronavirus disease.

"This is a very important state executive committee meeting being held just before the assembly elections during which the party would give message to its 76 lakh workers in the state, said the Bihar BJP chief, who is a Lok Sabha MP from Paschim Champaran constituency in the state.

The meeting will plan strategy for the assembly polls besides expanding partys organisation and ensuring better coordination with its allies -- Janata Dal-United and LJP, party sources said.

The executive committee of the state was formed on March 20 last, but it could not hold any meeting till date due to Covid-induced lockdown enforced in Bihar on March 22 and subsequent nationwide shutdowns, they said.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the meeting would be organised through virtual mode, Jaiswal said.

"The BJP will be probably the first party in the country which is organising such an important meeting through virtual medium," Jaiswal said, adding party leaders would be connected to the meeting through their mobile phones or laptops from their respective places.

The saffron party's decision to hold the meet digitally comes in the backdrop of its over two dozen leaders and workers testing positive at the state headquarters in July in course of conducting regional meetings as part of election preparations.