Ahead of Assembly polls, Shah to visit UP to review preparedness

New Delhi: As the Assembly polls are approaching, BJP launched its election campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit with bucket full government projects in the poll-bound states from September. Now, Union Home Minister and former party president Amit Shah will visit Uttar Pradesh on Friday and start his election campaign by meeting with the election in charges and local party workers in Varanasi.

Reportedly, Shah will address almost 700 party members- including 98 district presidents and as many districts in-charges of all 403 Assembly seats in the largest state in the afternoon. Six regional presidents, all senior state BJP functionaries as well as in charges and co-in charges of the party at the state level have been called to Varanasi.

Besides, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, both the deputy chief ministers, state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and the entire team of the state in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan will also be reaching the city.

According to a party source, the former party president will review poll preparedness during the first day of his two-day visit to the state. All of the page in charges (Panna Pramukh) under booth committees have also been called to attend the meeting. The meeting will take place at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre. Meanwhile, BJP's UP in charge Radha Mohan Singh reached on Thursday and Union Education Minister and election in charge Dharmendra Pradhan will reach on Friday afternoon. The meeting will start at 5.30 pm and will continue till 8.00 pm, a party leader confirmed.

During the second day of his visit to Purvanchal (Eastern Uttar Pradesh), Shah lay the foundation stone of a university in Azamgarh, a bastion of the opposition Samajwadi Party, and he is slated to address a public meeting. As a senior state leader of Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that the people in Azamgarh have been demanding the university since the mid-70s.

The Assembly elections are scheduled for early next year. Eastern Uttar Pradesh sends 61 lawmakers to the 403-member state Assembly. Reportedly, BJP is also planning to start 'Parivartan Yatras' of party leaders in the state from next month.