Prime Minister Narendra Modi with BJP President Amit Shah at the party's National Council meet
New BJP president Amit Shah today called upon all workers and leaders to ensure that the party wins the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. (
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Mr Shah, who was addressing the party's first National Council meeting in Delhi since its sweeping victory in the Lok Sabha polls, said, "Let there be no state or union territory where the BJP is not a force to reckon with". (
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The meet -- held to ratify Mr Shah's appointment as the BJP chief -- was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former party president Rajnath Singh, veteran leader LK Advani and senior leader Arun Jaitley, among others.
"We now have to establish fresh milestones of victory in the forthcoming assembly elections on the strength of our remarkable success. Assembly elections are due in Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. We have to accept the challenge of forming our government in all these states," said Mr Shah. (
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To drive home his point, the BJP chief added, "Yes I repeat, in all these states. Let there be no state or union territory where the BJP is not a force to reckon with". (
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"We need to develop the habit of winning in all elections," the party chief told the assembly of leaders and cadres.
Mr Shah also praised PM Modi and Mr Singh, saying, "They fulfilled the dreams of lakhs".
He also credited the party's workers for its victory.
"Workers are the strength of the party. The people's aspirations are in sync with the BJP. Only in the BJP, a worker can rise to be the party president and prime minister," he said. (
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Mr Shah, a close confidante of Mr Modi, also slammed the former UPA government, saying it had left the country in a bad condition.
He took a dig at the Congress and the Gandhi family, without naming either directly.
"The poll verdict is the defeat of dynasty politics. People rejected appeasement and vote-bank politics," said Mr Shah.