With the general elections just around the corner, the BJP is set to infuse new life into the party cadre in Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum number of Lok Sabha seats (81). To begin with, Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee is flying to Lucknow tomorrow on a day-long visit, and on his itinerary is a face-to-face meeting with the party cadre in the state.Vajpayee will meet over 2,000 party workers in batches of 250 at the official residence of ex-minister and BJP Legislature Party leader Lalji Tandon. The PM’s visit is set to rejuvenate the state party cadre which had been disenchanted with the party high command ever since the party brokered an alliance with the BSP to form the government in the state. While the PM will not be here on his birthday, the state party leadership has directed its cadre to observe an ‘‘achievement fortnight’’ beginning December 25, the PM’s birthday to highlight the BJP-led Centre’s achievements in the last five years. Partymen plan to hold yagnas and a huge cake weighing nearly 80 kg and distribute laddoos. ‘‘The BJP workers will contact large number of people to highlight the Centre’s achievements,’’ said Kalraj Mishra, in-charge of party affairs in UP. The state BJP, which witnessed a downslide in the last two LS polls, does not want to leave any stone unturned this time. The party had 59 MPs from the state in 1996, 56 in 1998 and the figure touched an all-time low in the last LS polls in 1999 with only 29 MPs. ‘‘To meet the target of 300 seats in 2004, the BJP wants the maximum seats from UP,’’ said state unit chief Vinay Katiyar.The PM will spend tomorrow attending a host of functions, including the flagging off of five new trains from Lucknow — Lucknow-Allahabad Jan Shatabdi, inter-city express trains between Lucknow-Varanasi and Lucknow-Gorakhpur, and express trains between Lucknow-Mathura Junction and Lucknow-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.
