The BJP national president Nitin Gadkari is visiting Lucknow on October 18 and 19. This will be his second visit to the state capital. Although officially he is coming for the Mayors conference being organised by the BJP,insiders say the partys senior leaders,regional presidents and district-level office bearers have been asked to gear up for meetings on the forthcoming assembly elections. He will be looking at the partys preparations for polls and will be discussing the preparations for its revival. Gadkari is also expected to meet workers to sort out issues at the bottom of the recent infighting in the party. Since elections are barely a year-and-a-half away,the party needs to gear up, a leader said. Now,with the entire state body in place,the national president has made it clear that we need to start preparations. The meetings,scheduled for October 18 and 19,will be on the lines of the state executive meet on the issue of elections,with the national president. Gadkari,he said,has already asked regional presidents to prepare a list of issues on which the party can react. He wants the party to connect with the masses in a big way before the next elections,the leader said. Gadkari will arrive on the evening of October 18 and leave on the night of October 19. We will try to make the best use of his visit, said BJP media coordinator Dilip Srivastava. According to party leaders,Gadkari will be meeting heads of partys cells like the traders wing and the minorities wing. While traders have been a strong votebank of the party,we need to get the trust of minorities. And Gadkari wants each and every cell to contribute significantly in the partys revival, a leader said. He will also be looking at the performances of the partys sitting legislators in Uttar Pradesh and has asked party seniors,including regional presidents and coordinators,to prepare report cards of the sitting MLAs. Besides,Gadkari is also expected to look into the issues like infighting and rebellion that began since the formation of the state executive committee. He is expected to discuss the allegations against partys organisational secretary Nagendra Nath,leaders refusing to take up posts and also,the allegations against state president Surya Pratap Shahi of having formed an unconstitutional state body, another leader said. This visit is being touted as one of the most significant visits,as immediately after it,our booth and assembly level preparatory meetings will begin, said a leader.
