New Delhi: Next year’s general elections will be fought under the leadership of Amit Shah, the Bharatiya Janata Party decided in its national executive meeting on Saturday. Reports say the party has also decided to defer internal polls, to elect a new leader. Shah's term as party president ends in January 2019.

The BJP national executive meeting is expected to articulate its response to the opposition's combined attack on the government over the rise in oil prices and also formulate its strategy for the state assembly polls and the Lok Sabha elections.

The two-day meeting is being attended by its key leaders from all states and Union territories besides its national leadership. It comes against the backdrop of  signs of unrest among upper castes, a core support base of the saffron party, over its push for pro-Dalit laws to woo the backward community, news agency PTI reported.

In the meeting today at Ambedkar Bhawan, Shah exuded confidence of BJP returning to power next year with a bigger margin than 2014. He said the party should work towards winning the state polls later this year.

He urged the party functionaries to follow the road map for 2019 polls.

Shah said the Opposition parties would not achieve anything despite spreading myths and lies.

Shah would kick off the party's campaign for assembly polls in Telangana with a public meeting at Mahabubnagar on September 15.


National leaders of the party and Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states are also expected take part in the campaign, BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao told PTI Saturday.