M A I N   N E W S

BJP poll drive from Feb 12
PM likely to address four rallies
S. Satyanarayanan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 31
As in Gujarat, the BJP will launch its formal election campaign in Himachal Pradesh on February 12 in a big way with top Central leaders, including Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, addressing 10 rallies simultaneously in various regions of the state.

Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal will also address a rally along with caretaker Chief Minister P. K. Dhumal. The venue of the rally is yet to be decided.

The party has decided to schedule the rallies of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Chief Ministers of other states, including Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, from February 20 onwards, when campaigning will be at its peak.

According to sources, although the exact dates of the Prime Minister’s visit have not yet been decided and are likely to be decided during a meeting to be held by Mr Pramod Mahajan and Mr Arun Jaitley on February 7 with office-bearers of the state unit, Mr Vajpayee is likely to address at least four rallies.

Other leaders who would be touring Himachal include Union Ministers M.M. Joshi, Vinod Khanna and Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parikar and Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi.

On February 12, Mr Advani will address rallies at Kulu and Kangra, BJP President Venkaiah Naidu at Solan, Shanta Kumar at Bilaspur, Uma Bharti at Chamba, Sushma Swaraj at Hamirpur, M.L. Khurana at Una, Raj Nath Singh at Mandi, Pramod Mahajan at Shimla, party general secretary and spokesman M.A. Naqvi said.

The overall management of the entire election campaign will be jointly handled by Mr Mahajan, who is the new general secretary in the party, and Mr Jaitley, who quit as general secretary and joined Mr Vajpayee Cabinet as Law Minister on Wednesday.

“Since Mr Jaitley was deeply involved in poll management in Himachal till he joined the government, he has been asked by the party President to devote full time for campaigning and election management work. Therefore, both Mr Mahajan and Mr Jaitley will manage the poll jointly,” Mr Naqvi said, adding that “while Mr Jaitley will be based in Shimla, Mr Mahajan, though based in Shimla, will tour the entire state for poll-related work.”

The party has also decided to set up poll management centres at Mandi, Dharamsala and Chamba. While general secretary Raj Nath Singh will be stationed at Mandi, Delhi Pradesh unit President Madan Lal Khurana will be at Dharamsala and Union Minister Chaman Lal Gupta at Chamba.

The party has also decided to depute one prominent MP each in all 65 constituencies going to the poll and asked prominent party workers from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Delhi to help the Himachal unit in poll management.

Briefing newspersons, Mr Naqvi asserted that the party’s poll plank would be development, security and prosperity and contentious issues like Ram Temple, abrogation of Article 370 and Uniform Civil Code would not be the issues in the coming Assembly poll.