Congress and BJP start preparing for the big fight in 2012

Ahmedabad, Jul 11 (PTI) Though the Assembly elections are
a year away in western Indian state Gujarat, both the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition Congress have
already started preparations for the crucial December 2012
polls in the state.
BJP, under the leadership of Chief Minister Narendra
Modi, has worked out a detailed strategy for the tussle.
While, under its new state president Arjun Modhvadia, the
Congress has decided not only to attack the ruling party, but
also to mend its own house.
In order to make the party stronger, the BJP has started
wooing the party dissidents, with substantial support bases,
who had left the party before the state elections in 2007.
Earlier this week, one of the dissident former MLAs Balu
Tanti, who belongs to the strong Leuva Patel community of
Saurashtra, was re-inducted into the BJP.
Party sources said, "Another rebel and former MLA Sunil
Oza, who had left the party before the 2007 polls is also
likely to join the party soon. Joining of these leaders will
help the BJP as they are strong in their local areas."
To further strengthen the party, the BJP has decided to
hold 1,800 meetings of party workers in all the 182
constituencies of the state.
"The 'tiffin meetings' as they call it, will discuss the
overall strategy for the upcoming polls and will go deep into
the analysis of population of each constituency after the
de-limitation," party spokesperson I K Jadeja said.
He said that this is for the first time that the state
is going to polls after the de-limitation of the
constituencies.

The BJP has also clearly told its workers not to indulge
in corruption, as it would be one of the main issues that the
party would take up to corner the Congress following various
scams at the Centre, party sources said.
On the other hand, the Congress has decided to focus on
two things ahead of the polls: First is to set its house for
the big fight and second to launch an attack against the
Modi-led BJP government and its policies.
Arjun Modhvadia has been touring various parts of the
state to meet party workers, advising them to stay focused on
defeating Modi-led BJP in the polls.
He is also giving a tough message to the faction-ridden
party to put the internal differences aside, to clinch a
victory in the polls, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said.
He has also taken up a drive to improve the party
infrastructure by opening offices in each taluka of the state,
so that people can represent their questions to the opposition
parties directly, Doshi said.
"We have also decided to hold a series of agitations in
the coming weeks on the issues of farmers, students, poor
people and villagers.
"This time, we have decided to give a tough fight to the
BJP at all levels in the run up to the elections," Doshi said.