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BJP to contest 2019 LS elections under Shah, defers organisational polls
Kashmir Times. Dated: 9/9/2018 12:21:09 AM
NEW DELHI, Sep 8 (Agencies): In a significant development, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday extended the tenure of its national president and decided to contest the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha polls under his guidance.
The party also deferred the organisational elections till 2019 Lok Sabha polls so that the party can focus on the upcoming assembly elections in four states and the general elections next year.
"Organisational elections are a vast exercise and it takes time too. All the workers get involved in it. So, a discussion is going on to defer the organisational polls until the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are completed," West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh said at the sidelines of two-day National Executive meet which began here on Saturday.
The issue of holding organisation elections was reportedly discussed at the meeting of the BJP office bearers, state unit chiefs and its general secretaries (organisation) which was held under the chairmanship of Shah.
A formal resolution, in this regard, is expected to be passed by the National Executive which has formally begun at Ambedkar International Centre here.
The office-bearers meeting took place before the inauguration of the National Executive to set its agenda.
According to the party constitution, any eligible member can hold the post of president for two consecutive terms of three years each.Shah was elected unopposed as the party president on January 24, 2016, for a second term, this time for a full tenure of three years. He had earlier completed Home Minister Rajnath Singh`s interrupted tenure as President from July 2014. His second term will end on January 26, 2019.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Shah was in-charge of Uttar Pradesh where the BJP won 73 out of total 80 seats. In line with BJP's ''one person, one post'' formula, Shah took over as the BJP president in July 2014 from Rajnath Singh who became the Home Minister in the Narendra Modi government.
During the office-bearers meeting, Shah said that his party will come out with an absolute majority in the upcoming 2019 general elections.
Expressing confidence of sweeping the Lok Sabha polls, Shah said, "We will come with an absolute majority. Sankalp ki shakti ko koi parajit nahi kar sakta (No one can defeat the power of determination)."
A slogan of 'Ajey BJP' (Invincible BJP) was also adopted at the meeting of the party's national office bearers and also presidents of its state units.
Later, briefing reporters about the office bearers meeting, BJP secretary Rahul Sinha quoted Shah as saying that the party will contest the 2019 polls on the performance of the Modi government and strength of other organisation. "The opposition parties are trying to spread confusion among the people but they will not succeed. We will win 2019 Lok Sabha polls with a bigger margin," Sinha said.
He said there are 22 crore beneficiaries of the central government`s schemes and it has been decided that 9 crore party workers will reach out to them.
"Their (workers) responsibility would be to take these beneficiaries to the polling centres," Sinha said, adding that party`s booth level workers has been given responsibility to take voters out from their houses to polling centres.
Prime Minister Modi will address the National Executive on Sunday afternoon.
Cadets celebrate after a passing-out parade at Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai.