Dasari Srinivasa Rao Vijayawada

Unionminister Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma called upon BJP leaders and cadres to work towards securing party representation in every mandal and village in the forthcoming gram panchayat elections, stressing the need to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots level.

Addressing a state-level panchayat election preparatory meeting at IV Palace in Vijayawada on Tuesday, he said the party’s objective was to create opportunities for ordinary workers to emerge as sarpanches, MPTC and ZPTC members, councillors and corporators. He urged party leaders to ensure that at least one or two BJP-supported candidates were elected as ward members in every village. He also called for a review of the experiences in the recent local body elections and better coordination among NDA partners.

Minister for health, medical and family welfare Y Satya Kumar Yadav asked BJP leaders and workers to begin preparations for the panchayat elections immediately. As the State has thousands of gram panchayats, he said NDA partners should coordinate at the local level and work out mutually acceptable strategies. He called upon district presidents, district in-charges and elected ZPTC and MPTC members to play an active role in strengthening the party and implementing the election strategy.

BJP state president P V N Madhav said the NDA’s performance in the recent local body elections reflected the impact of coordination among alliance partners. He said the BJP had contested 33 ZPTC seats and won around 23, while nearly 355 party representatives had been elected across the state. Describing the results as a significant step in the party’s expansion, he urged cadres to ensure BJP representation in every village, although panchayat elections are not fought on party symbols.

BJP national vice-president and Rajamahendravaram MP Daggubati Purandeswari said the party’s growth from two MPs to the world’s largest political party was the result of the dedication and sacrifices of thousands of workers. She urged elected representatives not to forget the cadres who worked for their victory and to remain accessible to them.

The meeting reviewed the BJP’s performance in the recent local body elections and discussed strategies for the forthcoming panchayat polls, coordination among NDA partners, expansion of the party at the village level and publicising Central government schemes.

Party general secretary (organisation) for the Telugu states Madhukar offered guidance on strengthening the party organisation. MLC Somu Veerraju, MLAs Ch Adinarayana Reddy and Ramakrishna Reddy, MLC Potula Sunitha, State general secretaries Nagothu Ramesh Naidu, S Dayakar Reddy, Saligrama Lakshmi Prasanna and Matta Prasad, besides State and district leaders and newly elected representatives, participated in the meeting.