The deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday convened a meeting of Mumbai BJP leaders to draw strategy for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections this year. The late night meeting was held at Fadnavis' official residence in Mumbai. The Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar along with elected party mlas, MPs , mlcs representing city and suburbs were present at the meeting. Sources in the BJP said, " Fadnavis held wider consultations with Mumbai elected members." The purpose of the meeting was to discuss strategy and programmes to keep BJP ready for BMC polls." Insiders indicated that BMC elections could take place after monsoons in September. The last BMC polls took place in February 2017. The BMC polls were due in February 2022. But they have been inordinately delayed. Currently, BMC is run by an administrator. For BJP, BMC polls have become a do or die battle. As it has set the target to win 150 out of 227 wards. The BJP has taken the pledge to dislodge Uddhav Thackeray lead Shiv Sena ( UBT) which has been ruling the civic body for last three decades. However, after operation lotus that lead to split in Thackeray's party, BJP along with Shiv Sena ( Shinde faction) has announced alliance. "The BJP feels it will have to aggressively push the success stores related to Mumbai transformation under Shinde-Fadnavis rule," a senior MLA said.
