A key Bharatiya Janata Party meeting, which was attended by Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda, on Tuesday spelt out the contours of the party's campaign in all 543 Lok Sabha seats, stressing on targeting first-time voters, government scheme beneficiaries, Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, youths and women.
Addressing over 300 party leaders, Nadda said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government since coming to power in 2014 worked for the welfare of the poor and India's standing has risen manifold during his second term, with the country becoming the fifth largest economy, party general Vinod Tawde said quoting him.
In an indication that the BJP is looking to welcome politicians from other parties into its fold, Shah asked party members to connect with well-known personalities and leaders from different communities if they want to be part of the "nationalist mainstream".
Exhorting party leaders to reach out to voters with numerous successes of the government, he said Modi has galvanised the country around the idea of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat" while cultural nationalism has also received a big boost, comments which came amid a nationwide fervour around the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The government has been working on making India a big power, he said, asserting that the BJP's goal is not merely to win polls but to uplift the most deprived in line with its founder Deen Dayal Upadhyaya's motto of antyodaya by ensuring last-mile delivery to everyone.
Nadda, in his remarks, asked party leaders to ensure the BJP's further expansion across the country and said they must see to it that it gains in seats in states where it had limited success in 2019.
He noted that over 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty under the Modi government, citing a Niti Aayog report.
Tawde said party leaders in the meeting made a tentative countdown to the Lok Sabha polls, expected in April-May going by the schedule of the 2019 national elections, as they firmed up their outreach exercise to voters.
"We will work to ensure not only BJP's victory but also of our allies from wherever they will be contesting," he said.
Party leaders will fan out to villages as part of the "Gaon Chalein" campaign to connect with different voting groups.
Shah attended the meeting a day after his elder sister Rajeshwariben passed away during treatment at a Mumbai hospital.
Her last rites were performed in Ahmedabad in the presence of family members, including Shah.
The BJP's top brass has held a series of meetings of late to draw up the party's strategy for the Lok Sabha elections as Modi seeks a third straight term.
There is a view within the party that it is well placed to repeat its win amid a favourable atmosphere, including the enthusiasm around the Ram temple consecration, its big win in recent assembly polls and a general drift in the opposition camp.
