Panaji, Aug 22 (IANS): In a bid to shed its communal image and boost its minority vote base, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders will interact with Christian religious leaders, including the archbishop of Goa, the party announced Sunday.

Addressing a press conference, BJP national secretary and in charge of Goa Arti Mehra, said: "The party feels there is a concious need to reach out to the Christian community in the state and increase its minority vote base by at least five percent."

"We will be having increased interactions with Christian religious leaders in order to put across the correct image of the BJP. We need to clear the misconception that the BJP is a communal party. We need such sensitisation programmes with the minority community," said Mehra, a former mayor of Delhi.

"We are having an interaction with Fr Agnel ashram (a popular educational institution run by a Catholic order), where we will make a presentation to its students. We will also meet the archbishop to offer our respects," Mehra said, adding that the programme would reach out to the Christian community in Goa, before moving on to other minority religious groups.

Mehra also said such interactions would help the BJP up its minority vote by at least five to seven percent.

"Christians comprise nearly 30 percent of the Goan population. By our efforts and personal interactions by our leaders, we would try to increase our vote share in the minority community by at least five to seven percent," she said.