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Strengthen BJP at grass root level for 2019 victory: PM at parliamentary party meeting

WION Web Team
New Delhi, Delhi, IndiaUpdated: Dec 20, 2017, 07:41 AM IST
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File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Photograph:(Zee News Network)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for strengthening the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at booth levels across India for "victory in 2019 Lok Sabha elections". The Prime Minister was speaking at BJP's parliamentary party meeting in New Delhi

Union minister Ananth Kumar, also present in the meeting, said that the PM also called for promotion of youth in and outside party.

He also urged party leaders not to be affected by the opposition's "disinformation" campaign against the BJP, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told reporters.

Booth level work, which is the root of a poll campaign, is the mother of an election victory, Kumar quoted Modi as saying.

Party sources said Modi turned emotional a few times as he recalled how the party organisation was built in Gujarat and young leaders were groomed by their seniors, including former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

All elected lawmakers and BJP chief Amit Shah are present at the parliamentary party meet, which began at around 10 am on Wednesday.

One of the chief agendas to be picked up in this meeting is the chief ministerial faces of Gujarat and Himachal.

The BJP managed to pull a landslide victory in Himachal Pradesh, but its chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal lost his Sujanpur constituency to Congress. State BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti also lost his seat.

Their defeat has put a question mark on the face of the next chief minister.

Source told Zee News that Union minister JP Nadda and newly-elected BJP MLA Jairam Thakur are the frontrunners of Chief Minister's post.

Meanwhile in Gujarat, where the BJP managed to retain power for a record sixth time, is mulling a course correction after losing several seats to Congress.

The party leadership is reportedly considering a new face to replace the incumbent Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, despite his victory from the Rajkot West seat.

Among the names floating around are Textiles and Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Smriti Irani and Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Mansukh L Mandaviya.

Irani, however, has denied being a contender for the CM's post.