The BJP on Monday sought to project the “leadership and guidance” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the principal pitch for the upcoming Assembly polls in five states, signalling its deepening dependence on one supreme leader to win elections.

The party held a daylong meeting of national office-bearers to take stock of preparations for the state polls. At the end of the meeting, the BJP heaped praise on Modi for providing “leadership and guidance” for not only the growth and rise of the country but also party-ruled states.

The meeting was held also to prepare for the national executive meeting early next month, the first since J.P. Nadda took over as BJP president from Amit Shah in January 2020.

“Entire world is now praising India. Only yesterday, IMF lauded India’s battle against Covid. Other world institutions too have said that India’s economy was rising very fast,” BJP vice-president Baijayant Jay Panda said told reporters.

“In the five states, we will go to the people under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state leadership and pitch the BJP’s aim of giving growth and development with a double-engine government,” Panda added, speaking after the meeting.

The “double-engine government” refers to having the BJP in power at the Centre and also in the states. The party uses it to try and sway the voters, stressing that the one-party government at the top and elsewhere can usher in better development. This pitch had failed in Bengal and some other states too but the party still feels that it is the best strategy.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emerged as our tallest and most popular leader. We have seen that even in state polls he is the biggest vote-catcher,” one BJP leader said.

Of the five states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur — going to polls early next year, the BJP heads the government in four, barring Punjab, which is ruled by the Congress.

Though Uttar Pradesh would be the focus, the party wants to retain power in three other states too, to underline that Modi and the BJP’s popularity was intact despite Covid mismanagement, price rise and economic distress.

After Monday’s meeting, the party sought to drum-beat the “records and milestones” being achieved by the Covid vaccination drive, seeking to bury the mess created during the second Covid wave.

“Soon we will achieve the milestone of 100 crore vaccinations. It looks like a miracle given the way some people in the country and the world were saying that India won’t be able to manage the pandemic,” Panda said, crediting Prime Minister Modi.

The government and the BJP have planned a big show to announce the achievement of 100 crore vaccinations, hoping it would have a favourable impact on the voters.

Barring Uttar Pradesh, where chief minister Yogi Adityanath has risen as the face of the party, in all other states it would be left to Modi to sway the voters.

In Uttar Pradesh, too, party insiders said, the idea was to showcase Modi as the mascot and Yogi as his follower, to ensure that a chunk of the credit goes to the Prime Minister, if the BJP manages to script a history of sorts by retaining power in the politically crucial state.

The prolonged farmers’ protest and its impact on the state polls, particularly Uttar Pradesh, was also discussed at the meeting, sources said. Party leaders said measures to ensure that the protest doesn’t cast much of an impact on the polls was discussed.