Shah to go on 3-day Kerala trip as part of 2019 LS poll offensive

: Eyeing the Lok Sabha election in 2019, BJP national president Amit Shah will be on a three-day visit to Kerala from June 2 to 4 to discuss matters relating to party expansion with party workers and other ally parties in the state.

Party sources said that on the first day of his visit Shah will hold a meeting of the party core group in Kochi. Different groups have already been set up for conducting booth level work aiming to strengthen the saffron base in the state.

Notably, the party has deployed general secretaries in different constituencies to avoid political confrontation and intimidation in the state.

Amid all recent political developments, the three-day visit of BJP president in the state has political significance, experts feel. Reportedly, during his visit, Shah will also review the situation. In Kochi, he will meet alliance parties, BDJS and Kerala Congress (PC Thomas faction).

Earlier, during its state executive meeting, BDJS had demanded for eight Lok Sabha seats, especially Attingal and Pathanamthitta, which BJP is eyeing for the upcoming election in 2019. They also cautioned that if a minimum of six Lok Sabha seats are not provided to them, they will withdraw their support.

On June 3, BJP president will visit Kottayam to attend booth-level interaction and on June 4, Shah will visit Trivandrum to attend a programme to mark three years of BJP-NDA government. During his last day of the visit, he will also interact with intellectuals.

Reportedly, BJP is ready to hold talks with any political outfit that accepts the NDA's policies. Earlier, a central BJP delegation visited the state and submitted its report.

Apart from BJP national president Amit Shah, Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Nirmala Sitharaman and Prakash Javadekar will also attend the third anniversary programme in the state.