Maharashtra Assembly polls: Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav, Ashwini Vaishnaw chair BJP leaders’ meeting in Mumbai

According to BJP’s Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, nearly 4,500 party functionaries will attend a BJP meeting in Pune. Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to address the party meeting.

Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw, BJP’s election in-charge and co-in-charge for Maharashtra, respectively, on June 29 along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and other top leaders, chaired a party meeting in Mumbai, which is currently underway.

Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah is expected to address a party meeting in Pune on July 14 ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections.

According to BJP’s Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, nearly 4,500 party functionaries will attend a BJP meeting in Pune. “We have requested Amit Shah to address the meeting, and he has agreed to come to Pune. This meeting will be crucial ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections,” he said.

When asked about the Maharashtra legislative council polls scheduled next month, Mr. Bawankule said, “The names will be finalised either today or tomorrow. I am sure that our central parliamentary board will finalise some good names that will be beneficial for the state.”

“The BJP would like to have the chairperson post of the State legislative council, but we will discuss it with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and other 11 parties that form the NDA,” he said.

Party insiders told The Hindu that discussions are underway about seat-sharing, strategies to strengthen the party, and how to address distress among Maratha and OBC communities, which significantly contributed to their loss in the Lok Sabha polls.

The election for the 288-member State Assembly is scheduled for later this year. In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP’s representation in Maharashtra decreased from 23 seats to nine.