BJP to brainstorm on Maha assembly poll strategy at party convention on Sunday

Mumbai: Undeterred by its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the BJP has begun preparations for the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.

The BJP will hold a day-long meeting on July 21 at Pune in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal and Raksha Khadse, state in-charge Bhupendra Yadav and co-in charge Ashwini Vaishnav to brainstorm on the party’s poll strategy, especially with the Shiv Sena and NCP as allies.

The meeting is crucial as Amit Shah has reportedly told Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and NCP national president Ajit Pawar that the MahaYuti will contest the assembly elections together and scoffed at rumours about the BJP going it alone.

Nearly 5,500 delegates from the mandal level to the state level will participate in the day-long meeting. The BJP’s state election management committee chief Shrikant Bhartiya said, ‘’The meeting will discuss the party's assembly poll roadmap and crack the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s fake narrative. It also aims to boost and charge up the party office bearers and cadres in the run-up to the state assembly election.’’

State unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule has already announced that the MahaYuti will win 200 plus seats in the 288 member assembly while signalling that the BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP are capable enough to checkmate the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

During the convention the party will pass two resolutions -- one political and another on welcoming the pro development budget presented during the monsoon session. The political resolution will congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for becoming the PM for the third time in a row and heading the NDA government. Besides, the resolution will expose the opposition for spreading the fake narrative of changes in the Constitution and an end to reservations during the general elections. The resolution will outline the BJP’s strategy to effectively counter the opposition’s narrative by aggressively flagging the Centre’s decision to observe Constitution Day and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s announcement to construct Constitution Bhavans across Maharashtra.

The political resolution will also touch upon the ongoing protests over the Maratha and OBC reservation issues holding the opposition responsible for adding fuel to the fire. It will ask the opposition to clarify its stand on the Maratha and OBC reservation stalemate instead of dividing the politically vibrant communities to gain political mileage.

This apart, the second resolution will congratulate the MahaYuti government for proposing a slew of sops and incentives in the budget for various sections including girls, women, youth, tribals, downtrodden, industry and other sections.

During the Pune convention the party will finalise the statewide Samvad Yatra programme from August 9 to 15. The Yatra would be led by 19 leaders with the objective to reach every corner of the state. The Yatra will reach 48 Lok Saha, 288 assembly constituencies, Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and municipal areas. During the Yatra, the party will convey the information about a slew of projects to be implemented during the NDA rule and also various schemes announced by the MahaYuti government in the annual budget.