The BJP on Sunday convened a meeting of its newly appointed district and block presidents and panchayat heads reportedly in an attempt to strengthen its grassroots in the state.

Sources said the meeting assumes importance in the wake of the growing rift between the JD(U) and the BJP, and the directive from the national president of the party, Rajnath Singh, to strengthen its organisation at the grassroots level ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

State BJP president Mangal Pandey addressed the meeting on Sunday. He told the cadres to strengthen party base at the booth level. The cadres have been asked to induct at least 20 youths at each booth. They have also been directed to strengthen its base among communities who are not the traditional voters of the BJP.

Pandey also said meeting of district committee should be completed April 30 and the block level meetings should be held by May 5.

Ram Kishore Singh, state BJP spokesperson, said: “In the meeting, the members were asked to strengthen base in booth level, all district presidents and block presidents have been directed to constitute block samiti by April 30.”

Former Union minister and newly appointed BJP general secretary Rajiv Pratap Rudy during his first visit to Patna last month had indicated that BJP is working on its plans to win 300 seats in the next Lok Sabha elections.

The BJP leaders, however, refrained from attacking the JD(U) on Sunday, possibly as a result of the directive issued by Rajnath Singh to not make provocative statements that might weaken the coalition.