JP Nadda reviews Maha poll preparations with BJP leaders 

Mumbai, Sep 14 (IANS) The BJP President J.P. Nadda on Saturday chaired the meeting of the Maharashtra unit core committee and took stock of the party’s preparations for the upcoming Assembly election likely to take place between November 13 and 19. 

Sources said that Nadda reviewed the poll management plan up to over 99,000 booths across Maharashtra and the seat-sharing arrangement with allies Shiv Sena and NCP. 

State BJP leaders reiterated that the party should play a big brother role and should contest not less than 160 seats to emerge as the single largest party after the election.

Although they were quite clear that the MahaYuti would contest the ensuing assembly election under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, they were of the view that BJP should eye the CM’s post if it emerges as the single largest party among the allies. 

Nadda’s meeting comes almost a week after Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a marathon meeting with nine senior party leaders last Sunday. The timing of today’s meeting coincided with the MahaYuti partners currently engaged in promoting the flagship Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana and other welfare and development schemes across the state. 

The MahaYuti partners have already decided to further strengthen the outreach with the voters by flagging off the schemes launched by the state government and the Centre. Besides, they have taken a decision to strongly counter the opposition's fake narratives. 

Today’s meeting comes at a time when Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena Chief Leader and the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the NCP national president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in their separate statements have claimed that seat sharing is not an issue as they are resolved for the MahaYuti’s victory by contesting the assembly election with unity and full strength. 

Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis has recently clarified that the decision with regard to the Chief Minister’s post will be made by BJP’s parliamentary board and the MahaYuti leaders after the assembly election results are declared. 

The meeting was attended by Fadnavis, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar, state in charge and union minister Bhupendra Yadav, former minister and poll management committee chief Raosaheb Danve, organisational secretary Shiv Prakash among others. 

Earlier, Nadda took the Ganpati darshan at the CM's residence and DCM's residence also visited the Lalbaghcha Raja and the public Ganeshostav at Bandra.

--IANS

sj/dan