Hyderabad: A crucial brainstorming session of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) began on May 29 with the Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani setting the tone for the two-day exercise to chalk out contours of political strategy for the coming round of Assembly polls in five states and also an action plan for the next Lok Sabha elections.

Party's various state unit presidents, secretaries and national general secretaries are participating in the closed-door conclave.

Advani inaugurated the meeting, while party president M Venkaiah Naidu presided over it.

The meeting would draw up plans to gear up the cadre for the forthcoming elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajastan, Delhi and Mizoram.

Besides firming up the issues to be highlighted during poll campaigns, the party leadership is expected to deliberate on strategies to achieve its goal of capturing 300 Lok Sabha seats in the elections for Parliament scheduled in 2004.

"We are going to focus on measures to expand our social and political base", Naidu said.

This is the first time that the party has convened a meeting of presidents and secretaries of state units.

Asked about speculation that the central leadership would use the occasion to elicit views of the State units on the pros and cons of advancing Lok Sabha polls, Naidu said "we do not have this on the agenda. This meeting is mainly to review political situation and formulate strategy for strengthening the organisation".

PTI