BJP conclave on Mission 7

Plans expansion of base in southern states

Bengaluru: The two-day BJP national executive meeting here from April 3 would adopt an action plan to ramp up the party's base in states where it has been weak, particularly in the South. The conclave, to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will camp here for three days, party president Amit Shah and other top leaders, will be preceded by the office-bearers' meeting on Thursday.

"We will be adopting an action plan to expand the party's base...Particularly seven states - Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala," BJP general secretary P Muralidhar Rao told reporters here on Wednesday. The executive, which last met in August when it ratified the appointment of Amit Shah as party chief, was planned to be held here in January but put off as Modi was preoccupied with preparations for the visit of US President Barack Obama.

Rao said the action plan would also address the issue of making the party powerful and number one organisation in these states. “The meeting will brainstorm how to rapidly expand party influence beyond 11 states where it is now in power,” he said. The BJP had announced on Sunday it had become the world's largest organisation with a membership of 8.8 crores, overtaking Communist Party of China with 8.6 crore members.

"In the last elections we have garnered significant percentage of votes, but becoming powerful and number one party in these weak states is the target with which we will be going ahead. So, for that an action plan will be finalised in this meeting," he said. Rao also said the meeting would also discuss an action plan to reach out to people on the achievements of Narendra Modi government. "The meeting also will discuss how to reach out to people - taking the achievements of the government under Narendra Modi, particularly pro-farmers and pro-youth. All these issues will be discussed threadbare and action plan be prepared," he said.