THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Signalling the BJP-led NDA’s shift to a ‘mission mode’ campaign, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah has asked the party’s state leadership to start working on ‘Mission 2026’. The campaign seeks to build on the momentum generated by a similar drive last year that culminated in the capture of power in Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
Preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, tentatively scheduled on January 23, also figured in the discussions Shah had with the party’s core committee — its apex decision-making body at the state level. The prime minister is scheduled to announce the Thiruvananthapruam corporation’s development blue-print for the next five years and also formally kick-start the party’s campaign in the state.
Shah reportedly told the core committee that the upcoming election would be the most decisive one for the saffron alliance. “He has asked the leadership to stop short at nothing but a definite win in the strongholds and also significantly increase the party’s vote share across the state,” said a source.
In a separate meeting with NDA constituent leaders, Shah directed that booth-level committees of the saffron alliance be constituted across the state within the next 10 days. “The exercise, aimed at energising the grassroots and improving cohesion at the organisational base, is intended to address gaps in inter-party coordination,” said a leader of an NDA constituent party.
Shah also instructed that meetings of the NDA’s top leadership be held once every 15 days in the run-up to the election, in the wake of complaints from constituent parties about coordination lapses.
Shah further said that even after the polls, NDA leaders in the state should meet at least once a month to jointly plan agitations and mass movements, ensuring a united political approach.