2024 general elections: Amit Shah, JP Nadda set target for BJP to win with bigger margin, brainstorm to strengthen 144 'weak' seats

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda held a crucial meeting at the party office with the Union Ministers who are cluster incharges, in view of the upcoming 2024 general elections. The ground zero report of the ministers of the Modi government and the measures to be taken for the victory were discussed. Discussions were also held on the responsibility that was bestowed on the Union Ministers to stay on the 144 Lok Sabha seats, said an ANI report citing sources. 

Discussions were held to focus on 144 Lok Sabha constituencies and the Union Ministers and MPs were asked to strengthen the organisation on these crucial seats. The ministers who have not visited the assigned constituency so far were reportedly directed to strengthen the party as a priority. 

Top sources in the party reportedly said that 69 Union Ministers have been given the responsibility to stay in the Lok Sabha constituencies. They were given the responsibility of two constituencies while some were given three constituencies the last time, in which they were asked to stay in a seat for three days each, and reach out to the locals. 

During the meeting, Amit Shah said, "When the organisation will be strong, only then the government will be strong." The ministers were also directed to take the benefits of the welfare schemes for the people to their doorsteps. "The stay of the Ministers in the 144 Lok Sabha constituencies will continue till 2024 general polls. It is likely that the ministers may be given the responsibility of a few more constituencies in the near future. Those ministers who have been given this responsibility have been told to stay for two days in each month in a Lok Sabha constituency. Discussions were also held on methods to register a bigger victory than the 2019 general elections in 2024," sources told ANI.

Expressing his discontent on the ministers who were in charge of the seats on which the BJP lost in 2019 as they failed to stay in their respective assigned constituencies, JP Nadda instructed them to complete their assigned work.

In May this year, the BJP focused on 144 Lok Sabha seats where it found itself weak or the margin of loss was narrow. Therefore, the responsibility of identifying the necessary steps to be taken to ensure victory was entrusted to various ministers. The report of these Lok Sabha seats wask also discussed. Less than 2 years to go for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

Earlier on May 25, Home Minister Amit Shah and National President JP Nadda had launched the `Lok Sabha Pravas` campaign with an objective to strengthen the party at the grassroots level in 144 Lok Sabha seats across the country. Several ministers in the PM Modi cabinet were assigned with the task to maintain the report after Amit Shah and JP Nadda partially visited about 144 Lok Sabha seats where they are weak and took the responsibility to identify the necessary steps with the intention to register victory here. 

The crucial meeting was attended by Union Minister Smriti Irani, Ashwani Varshney, Bhupender Yadav, Arjun Munda, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, G Kishan Reddy, N Murugan, Prahlad Patel, Pralhad Joshi, Parshottam Rupala, Krishan Pal Gurjar, Kiren Rijiju, Annpurna Devi, Ajay Mishra Teni, Mahendra Pandey, Pankaj Chaudhary. The other party leaders present in the meeting were Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Sanjeev Balyan, VK Singh, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Giriraj Singh, Raosaheb Patil Danve, BL Verma, Kaushal Kishore, Darshana Jardosh, Anurag Thakur, Subhash Sarkar.

'Strengthen booths, focus on winning 50% lost seats'

BJP president JP Nadda chaired a meeting with the party leaders at the party headquarters here on Tuesday. Sources told ANI that a presentation on the party`s roadmap ahead was made by party general secretary B L Santosh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was also present in the meeting, told the leaders that the party should focus on winning at least 50 pc of the parliamentary seats it lost in 2019 general elections apart from working on the seats it had won.

Notably, the party was able to win 30 pc of the seats that were lost in the election before 2019 and now with the Modi government midway through its second term, the graph needs to only grow. Sources said that 30 union ministers were present in the meeting where a discussion on strengthening the party organisation and better coordination between the party and the government took place.

Party leaders suggested that coordination between party leaders and union ministers should be strengthened for better reach out at the grassroots level. The BJP has emphasised strengthening booths and party leaders are learnt to have talked about the help it provides in getting feedback from the grassroots.

BJP leaders are likely to take feedback from the beneficiaries at the grassroots level, sources said, adding that leaders have been told to have interaction with people from all communities, especially during festivals and community programmes. Sources said that they were seven to eight ministers, who failed finish the Lok Sabha Pravas programme, have been asked to finish it as soon as possible and give priority to the organisation work.

Notabnly, the BJP has already blown the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and has identified 144 seats for special focus. Among the seats on which Lok Sabha Pravas will be undertaken include some seats on which the victory margin has not been very encouraging for the party and also the seats which have been fought by erstwhile allies of the party. 

(With ANI Inputs)