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BJP leaders to launch letter campaign

Gargi Parsai

NDA forms State election panels; leaders to address rallies

Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat

NEW DELHI: To mobilise support for the National Democratic Alliance-backed Presidential candidate Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh, L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh will write a joint letter to all State party units. Later, a meeting would be held with the alliance partners to make a similar appeal to their State units and legislators, sources said.

This was decided on Monday at a meeting held at the residence of the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Separately, Mr. Shekhawat will also reach out to the electorate through mail. NDA convener George Fernandes was a special invitee to the meeting. He recently issued a public appeal to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray to change his mind about supporting United Progressive Alliance candidate Pratibha Patil. Mr. Fernandes is also likely to meet Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, who has so far not declared her support for Mr. Shekhawat. She did not sign his nomination papers either. Mr. Shekhawat’s spokesperson, Sushma Swaraj, maintained on Monday that the Sena might change its mind, and that Ms. Banerjee was “with them.” About All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief J. Jayalalithaa’s statement on Sunday that the United National Progressive Alliance would “abstain” from voting, Ms. Swaraj said that if its intention was to see that the Congress candidate was defeated, “then our appeal to them would be to support Mr. Shekhawat.”

The NDA has formed State Election Management Committees. Each panel will comprise the State party president, the person in charge of the State party, the chief whip and two MPs each. In the non-BJP ruled States, the alliance leader will head the committee.

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BJP leaders to launch letter campaign

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