No changes in Maharashtra BJP leadership, says Piyush Goyal after core committee meeting

Union Minister Piyush Goyal put an end to speculation about a leadership change in Maharashtra BJP following its recent disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha election by confirming on Tuesday that there will be no change.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal put an end to speculation about a leadership change in Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following its recent disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha election by confirming on Tuesday that there will be no change.

“There is no change. We have to bring a strong Mahayuti-National Democratic Alliance government in Maharashtra,” he stated after the Maharashtra BJP core committee meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

The meeting focused on strategies for the upcoming Assembly elections, discussing individual roles, and the formation of a central coordination committee to ensure collaboration among the three Mahayuti constituents: the BJP, the Shiv Sena, and the NCP.

It was attended by BJP national president J.P. Nadda, Union Minister and Maharashtra co-in-charge Ashwini Vaishnav, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and other key leaders from the State.

The BJP managed to win only nine of the 28 seats it contested. The Mahayuti alliance secured a total of 17 seats out of 48, while the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 seats, with an additional seat won by a rebel Congress candidate, Vishal Patil from Sangli, who later extended his support to the grand old party. In the 2019 elections, the saffron party won 23 seats in the western State.

“Today the Maharashtra core team had a meeting with the central leadership. We especially discussed the results seen in Maharashtra. The difference between Mahayuti and MVA is just 0.3% so we discussed in detail where we lost votes, where we faced problems, and the corrective actions that needed to be taken. In addition, we discussed the blueprint for our strategy ahead of the Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra. Soon we will prepare our roadmap for the Vidhan Sabha elections with our NDA partners…,” Mr. Fadnavis said while standing next to Mr. Goyal.

On June 5, a day after the results were announced, Mr. Fadnavis took full responsibility for the results and requested the top leadership to relieve him from the responsibilities in the State government to enable him to strengthen the party ahead of Assembly election.