CHENNAI: The Muslim League's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which began yesterday in Chennai, will shape a year-long action plan to increase the party's influence in national politics. The aim is to regain influence in the states of Bengal, Delhi, UP, Karnataka, Pondicherry and Assam where the League had MLAs.

The party will give more attention to West Bengal where it once had one MP (Murshidabad) and two ministers. According to the League leaders, with the collapse of the CPM in Bengal, the situation is favourable for the Muslim League among minorities.

The Muslim League had held the post of mayor in corporations such as Chennai and Kalaburagi in Karnataka and the post of deputy mayor in Meerut corporation in Uttar Pradesh. Women's League National President Fathima Muzaffer is now a member of the Chennai corporation. The party will take further steps showing all this to create confidence in the local leaders and ranks. The Youth League national committee is actively involved among the minorities in Assam.

The leadership is hoping that MSF's advancement in central universities, charity works and Youth League's style of providing legal and financial assistance to victims of riots can make things favourable for the League.

On Thursday, the delegation meeting will ask the Congress to support a broad secular alliance to face the BJP at the Centre. The meeting will also point out that a third front that does not include the Congress will drain the power of the secular forces and give victory to the BJP. The League will come forward to include more secular parties in UPA. It will also defend the criticism that it is a Malabar party.

The Muslim League Leadership is assessing that the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in the concluding session will strengthen the party's alliance with regional parties in other states.