KOCHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will set the ball rolling on the BJP’s grand plan for the 2024 Lok Sabha election in the state. The preparations will kick-start with a rally at Thekkinkad Maidan in Thrissur on Sunday, which will be addressed by Shah, who is considered the party’s master strategist.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, BJP’s Kerala in-charge Prakash Javadekar, state president K Surendran and former Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Gopi will also participate.
“The public meeting will start at 4pm and around 50,000 people are expected to participate in the rally,” said BJP state general secretary M T Ramesh. “The Thrissur rally will mark the launch of the BJP’s poll campaign for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The rally was originally planned in Thiruvananthapuram on March 5. However, the plan was dropped in view of Attukal Pongala. The venue was later shifted to Thrissur, but that was eventually cancelled due to the developments following the Northeast election results,” a party leader said.
The BJP has prepared a grand plan for Kerala, with the aim to win five Lok Sabha seats in 2024. The party has evolved a plan for 160 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country which the party lost despite garnering more than two lakh votes. Thiruvananthapuram, Attingal, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Palakkad have been included among the top-priority constituencies. Javadekar has added Mavelikkara, considering the fact that it is an SC reservation constituency.
BDJS candidate Thazhava Sahadevan had polled 1.33 lakh votes in the constituency in 2019. The BJP believes the Sabarimala protests have altered the political equation in the constituency and sitting MP Kodikkunnil Suresh of the Congress has grown unpopular here.As part of the plan for 2024, the BJP has charted two grand programmes in the state for the next two months.
PM to attend youth conference in Kochi
A conference of ex-service men will be held in Kozhikode in April, which will be followed by a women conference at Thrissur. Anganwadi teachers, MNREGS workers, Kudumbashree workers and beneficiaries of Central schemes will attend the the meeting. The party expects one lakh women to participate in the rally.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in a youth conference in Kochi in April or May. The programme will not use political banner and will highlight the benefits of India assuming the G20 Presidency. Efforts are on to rope in Christian and Muslim youth organisations and separate campaign will be held on campuses to attract students. The BJP has already started preparations in the six identified Lok Sabha constituencies.
The party has provided a list of the beneficiaries of Central government schemes like Mudra Yojana, Kissan Samman Nidhi, Jal Shakthi, Jan Dhan Yojana, Ujwala Yojana etc. The party workers have been told to meet the beneficiaries and garner their support. The party also expects support from the Christian community. “There is a visible change in the approach of the Christian community. Though the Church has not declared its support, we expect a major shift in the approach of the faithful towards the BJP. Besides the community has realised that Congress has post its political significance and BJP is the future,” said a leader.
Amit Shah will arrive at the Nedumbassery airport by noon, from where he will proceed to Thrissur by helicopter. He is expected to land at Sobha City helipad by 2pm. He will pay tributes at Sakthan Thampuram memorial and attend a meeting of BJP leaders in Thrissur constituency at Joy Palace at 3pm.