Thiruvananthapuram: BJP president Amit Shah, who arrives in Kochi on Friday for a three-day state visit, will attend important party programmes and hold talks with a cross-section of leaders, including religious and intellectual. He has been on a 125-day nationwide trip to strengthen the party and the central leadership has given high priority to his ‘South mission.’

He will meet NDA allies at Renai Hotel, Palarivattom, and convene the BJP core committee at government guest house on Friday. In the next two days, he will attend the meetings of booth and state office- bearers in Thiruvananthapuram and lay the foundation stone for the new BJP headquarters at Mararji Bhavan.

Mr Shah will be accompanied by a strong central team comprising Rajya Sabha MP and national general secretary Bhupender Yadav, RSS pracharak Arvind Menon, who was the former organising state general secretary in Madhya Pradesh (he has since been posted in Amit Shah’s core team at the BJP headquarters), BJP national joint general secretary B. L. Santosh, and national secretary H. Raja, who is also in charge of Kerala.

“On Friday evening, Amit Shah is expected to meet Cardinal Mar Alencherry of Syro-Malabar Church and also other bishops belonging to various dioceses. He will also address the elected representatives of local bodies at A. J. Hall at Kaloor,” said a top BJP leader.

During his recent trip to Telengana, where former BJP state president P. K. Krishnadas is acting as in-charge, Mr Amit Shah hoped that the BJP will make great strides in the Assembly elections.

“He will attend several meetings with party workers as well as intellectuals and opinion makers at Subramaniam Hall in Thiruvanantha-puram on Saturday,” said Mr Krishnadas.