 "Amit Shah reaches Varanasi to attend meet before UP assembly polls")
Union Home Minister and former BJP president Amit Shah reached here on Friday and chaired a crucial party meeting to decide on the poll strategy ahead of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Shah reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi on a two-day visit to a warm welcome with thousands of hoardings greeting him.
On his arrival, Shah was received by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister and BJP's UP affairs in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, Deputy CM Dinesh Sharma and party state president Swatantra Dev Singh.
Before chairing the meeting, Shah reached Lanka Crossing and garlanded the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and later reached Hastkala Sankul (trade facilitation centre for handicrafts to participate in the meeting.
The party functionaries who attended the crucial meet included in-charges of all 403 assembly constituencies of the states besides the district and regional level leaders.
It is Shah's second visit to the state within a fortnight. Earlier on Oct 29, he had launched a BJP membership drive in the state capital and made it clear that Adityanath would be the party's chief ministerial face in the elections.
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Thousands of hoardings have been put in Varanasi for welcoming the party leader, who had in past held responsibility of party's UP affiars in-charge in 2014.
Earlier in the day, about 50 Congress workers, protesting against the alleged misuse of government buildings for party (BJP) events, were detained by police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Varuna Zone) Prabal Pratap Singh said about 50 Congress workers have been detained over the apprehension that they may disturb the peace.
Former Congress MLA Ajay Rai alleged the government buildings of the country and the state are constantly being misused by the Bharatiya Janata Party for their party events.
After the meeting, in which Shah is likely to give "winning tips" to the party leaders, he would be staying here and will attend All India Rajbhasha Sammelan.
He will also visit Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav's Lok Sabha constituency Azamgarh, where he will lay the foundation stone of a state university and will address a public meeting in Basti.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)