The Maharashtra BJP is likely to go alone and contest all Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Maharashtra in the 2019 elections. “Party president Amit Shah has clearly told us to get ready to go it alone and start preparations for all the 48 Lok Sabha seats and 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra,” a senior BJP functionary said after Shah held a meeting in Mumbai on Sunday. “The meeting was to review poll preparations and measures to expand the electoral base of the organisation in Maharashtra. The thrust was on making deeper inroads across 48 Lok Sabha seats and 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra,” said the functionary, requesting anonymity. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 23 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats and bagged 123 Assembly seats. The party’s plan is to take measures to keep seats it had won intact, while putting in greater efforts to change the equations in seats held by the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP, besides smaller parties and independents. It was decided that an able party leader will take charge of each Lok Sabha seat, which means 48 point persons would be entrusted with the task of expansion of the organisation. The party termed these leaders as “vistaraks”. A similar model would be followed across 288 Assembly seats as well. Although the BJP is keeping pre-poll alliances open ended, it was conveyed to the party unit that if pre-poll alliances fail, the party should be ready to contest on its own in all seats, both in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. BJP ally Shiv Sena has been saying it would contest the polls on its own. Shah interacted with party officials and elected members in closed-door meetings. A core committee meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state party chief Raosaheb Danve along with select ministers was also held to discuss measures to strengthen the organisation and the government.
