BJP to strengthen organisational network in 96,100 Maha poll booths for Assembly elections

Mumbai, July 19 (IANS) The BJP, in the wake of its dismal performance in the General Elections, has launched a massive exercise to strengthen its organisational network in 96,100 polling booths across Maharashtra as part of its strategy for the Assembly polls.

The party’s 30-member core committee in the presence of state incharge Bhupendra Yadav and co-incharge Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday and Friday decided to step up its efforts even at the level of Shakti kendras and mandals, for not only the victory of BJP nominees but also of its allies Shiv Sena and NCP in the Assembly polls.

State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the proposed exercise in 91,600 booths is planned considering the Assembly elections as well as polls to the panchayat samitis, zilla parishads, gram panchayats and municipal corporations due since long.

He stressed that the Mahayuti would fight these elections together and retain power in Maharashtra after the Assembly polls.

“The core committee discussed the political situation in 150 Assembly seats on Thursday and remaining 138 Assembly constituencies on Friday. The BJP poll network will focus on the victory of its own candidates and also of Shiv Sena and NCP,’’ said Bawankule.

He denied media reports that some core committee members expressed displeasure over lack of cooperation by Shiv Sena and NCP with BJP nominees in the Lok Sabha elections.

He further clarified that the core committee did not discuss the seat sharing arrangement among the Mahayuti partners as reported by the media.

‘’The core committee did not even make a mention of Shiv Sena, NCP or of Eknath Shinde or Ajit Pawar. There is no truth in the media reports. The core committee, as I said, discussed the present and upcoming scenario in all 288 Assembly constituencies with the sole objective of Mahayuti retaining power in the state,’’ he said.

Bawankule urged the print and TV media to stop doing speculative stories about party meetings.

“The party shares the information about its meetings. So report what has been discussed. The media in the state has a special stature and culture and therefore they should avoid doing sourced-based stories, but report what has actually happened in the party meetings,” he opined.

Bawankule said the core committee unanimously decided to increase outreach with voters by taking up a slew of development and welfare schemes announced by the Mahayuti during the budget and also various schemes proposed by the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

“The party will flag off the benefits of these schemes announced by the double engine government, in the state,” he added.

Bawankule alleged that the Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and the Congress, was not keen on the state’s development but doing politics.

“If MVA comes to power it will cancel all development and welfare schemes announced by the Mahayuti government,” he claimed.

Bawankule said that nearly 5,300 party functionaries will attend its convention on Sunday at Pune, adding that Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will address the first session while the concluding session will be by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“These 5,300 party functionaries are expected to reach up to 91,600 booths, Shakti kendras and mandals, taking up the party’s programme and Mahayuti’s schemes in the run up to the Assembly election,” he added.

sj/rad