Lucknow, Dec 23 (IANS): Union Home Minister Amit Shah is embarking on a statewide tour of Uttar Pradesh from Friday to give momentum to the party's election campaign.

Shah is expected to address public meetings at nearly 21 different locations and each public meeting will be attended by party workers and supporters from the surrounding seven Assembly constituencies.

In this way, he will be covering around 140 Assembly seats in his tour.

The BJP plans to put Shah on the forefront of organisational strategy even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes on a spree to lay foundation stones or launch developmental projects in the state.

Sources said the party plans to bring supporters from Dalit and OBC dominated constituencies at the Shah's public meetings.

The move attains political significance in the backdrop of BJP mobilising the non-Yadav OBC to counter an aggressive Samajwadi Party president, Akhilesh Yadav who has been emerging as the main challenger to the ruling BJP.

During his campaign, Shah is also scheduled to hold special meetings with the party functionaries in different districts to assess the ground level political situation.

This comes close on the heels of the recent booth level functions which the party had organised to set its organisational machinery into motion and reinforce its cadre strength.