Shah sets off on 95-day tour of states today

NEW DELHI: BJP president Amit Shah sets off on a 95-day all-india tour on Saturday during which he will strategize on ways to win the 2019 Lok Sabha election, with the focus on clinching 120 seats where the party had lost in 2014.

A day ahead of his visit to Jammu as part of his odyssey that will take him to all states, Shah told reporters he would spend one to three days in each of them, depending on their electoral significance.

The states have been divided into three categories in accordance with their electoral importance.

“We have also set a target of (winning) 120 seats where we had lost in 2014. My tour will focus on taking stock of our organisational strength, and further expansion of ideology and electoral appeal across the country,” he said.

Shah is particularly focusing on states like West Bengal, from where he returned last night after spending three days, Odisha, Telangana and Kerala. The BJP had managed to win just four Lok Sabha seats out of the 102 in these states in the 2014 election.

He also hinted at a reshuffle in the organisation as several office-bearers are now serving as ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government.

Shah downplayed reported concern among some BJP allies over the saffron party’s expansion plans, saying it is his job to ensure the growth of the outfit everywhere, but added that the 120 seats targeted by him did not include those won by other NDA constituents.

The party has graded the states into A, B and C category in order of their electoral significance, and he will spend three, two and one day there respectively.