Senior BJP leaders in Tamil Nadu have urged the party’s central leadership not to miss what they described as a key opportunity to strengthen the BJP in the state by consolidating Hindu votes. The appeal was made to BJP national organisation general secretary B L Santhosh.
The push comes after the Assembly election in which the BJP contested 27 constituencies and won only in Ooty. Party sources said the organisation is now planning monthly meetings of state office-bearers and booth committee meetings, with designated in-charges to monitor the work.
As part of this effort, an advisory meeting of state functionaries was held in Coimbatore at the district BJP office, chaired by Santhosh. Senior leaders including in-charge Arvind Menon, co-incharge Sudhakar Reddy and Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran attended.
According to party circles, functionaries discussed the election defeat, with several saying the party should have contested alone. Some also remarked that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government was functioning on the same lines as the DMK’s earlier stance.
Santhosh reportedly asked cadres to highlight the TVK government’s shortcomings but avoid personal attacks. He also directed leaders to take the Union government’s welfare schemes to people through street-corner meetings and public gatherings, while senior functionaries pressed for central leaders to directly oversee the party’s growth work in every district.
