BJP begins marathon district-level meets in Maharashtra ahead of Lok Sabha, Assembly polls

“We have shortlisted 165 candidates who are in “very good” category and have the winning potential,” said BJP sources.

Similarly, it is learnt that the Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) has identified 50 potential candidates under “very good” category. “The BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) together have 215 good candidates. In the remaining 73 constituencies the BJP is likely to woo potential candidates from other parties across Maharashtra,” they said.

The party believes that when it comes to electoral battle what matters is the winning prospects. The BJP is likely to contest in around 190 to 200 seats, and leave 88 to 98 seats for the Shinde faction.

“After the Lok Sabha elections, there will be a major churning. We will tap unrest within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to our advantage,” said a senior BJP minister requesting anonymity.

At the party’s internal meeting, the BJP’s state top leadership indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s magic will deliver results in Lok Sabha.

In the run-up to the polls, the state BJP will hold elaborate programmes to mark nine years of PM Modi’s governance. It has deputed the Opposition leader in the Maharashtra State Legislative Council Praveen Darekar to coordinate and implement the plan.

“Our elected members of Parliament and leaders, including ministers, will hold programmes across 288 Assembly constituencies and 48 Lok Sabha constituencies over the next few months. Through various forums, including interactive sessions with intellectuals, public meetings, and constituency tours we will show the success stories and development work under Modi rule,” Darekar said.

BJP president Bawankule who is working round the clock has said that the party’s target is to enhance the tally from 303 to 350 seats in the Lok Sabha. “Maharashtra is an important state with 48 Lok Sabha seats. Our target is to win 45 seats out of 48 seats,” he said. Though a daunting task, Bawankule said, “Nothing is impossible. We are working on multiple fronts”. To begin with, the party has appointed a candidate in charge for every Lok Sabha and Assembly constituency. Secondly, it has directed its local units in each constituency to adopt a door-to-door campaign plan soon.

“The party will reach out to 60,000 families in every constituency across Maharashtra,” Bawankule revealed.

With Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena (UBT) putting up a united front against the saffron party, the BJP believes that the only way to attain success in the election is through the goodwill of the people. Therefore, the people’s connect has been accorded the highest priority in the organisations. Apart from the door-to-door outreach plan, it is using social media and apps to project the good governance of Modi in Delhi and the Shinde-Fadnavis government in Maharashtra.