Lok Sabha polls: Amit Shah lays stress on upping turnout in remaining phases in Uttar Pradesh

Amid concerns over low polling in the first two phases of the Lok Sabha election, Union home minister Amit Shah held a key meeting of the BJP here on Thursday and emphasised on increasing the voter turnout in the remaining phases to pave the way for the victory of NDA candidates by a big margin.

Amit Shah gave tips on booth management to party leaders and office bearers at the organisational meeting.

In the review of the party’s preparations, the focus was on 37 seats going to polls in the third, fourth and fifth phases on May 7, 13 and 20 respectively.

The NDA candidates are winning all the 16 Lok Sabha seats that voted in the first and second phases in Uttar Pradesh, Amit Shah said at the meeting.

He instructed party leaders to ensure that panna pramukhs visit households to make people aware of the BJP government’s performance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to motivate them to vote for the party, said a party leader familiar with discussions at the meeting.

The BJP workers should communicate with young voters, especially first-time electors, and motivate them to exercise their franchise , Shah said, adding that booth level workers should have a list of first-time and young voters.

The booth level workers should cast their vote early in the morning to take up the task entrust to them, Shah said.

Party office bearers should meet families in their assigned areas, he added.

The party has divided the booths category-wise according to the BJP’s victory margin in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as well as based on report obtained through a party survey, Shah said.

Panna pramukhs should ensure that maximum votes are polled in the A and B category booths identified by the party and later they should focus on C and D category booths in which the BJP candidates secured less vote in previous elections, he said.

Shah arrived in Lucknow for the review after addressing three election meetings in Bareilly, Budaun and Sitapur.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, deputy chief ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya, BJP’s UP president Bhupendra Chaudhary, state general secretary (organisation) Dharampal Singh, office bearers of Awadh, Kashi, Kanpur and Braj regions as well as some cabinet ministers attended the meeting in a hotel near Lucknow airport.

“The discussion was held on the 37 Lok Sabha seats going to polls in the third, fourth and fifth phases of the Lok Sabha election,” a BJP leader said.

After the meeting, KP Maurya said, “We have been told only one thing that we have to win all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh. To reach ‘400 paar’, Uttar Pradesh will meet its target.”

Meanwhile, former Samajwadi Party minister Raj Kishore Singh joined the BJP on Thursday in the presence of BJP state president Bhupendra Chaudhary and deputy CM Brajesh Pathak. Earlier, Singh met Shah.