When will BJP release the list of candidates?
The BJP held its first Central Election Committee meeting on Wednesday night, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other party leaders were present. According to sources, BJP may release its first list of candidates within two days and contest from 154 to 158 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. In the 2019 assembly elections, BJP had emerged as the largest party with 105 seats. The undivided Shiv Sena, led by then ally Uddhav Thackeray, had won 56 seats, while the undivided Nationalist Congress Party had won 41 seats. Congress had won 44 seats.
BJP trying to regain lost ground
In the Lok Sabha elections held six months ago, BJP had to face a crushing defeat in Maharashtra, where the party could win only 9 out of 28 seats. BJP is now trying to regain its lost ground in the state. Maharashtra is very important for BJP because it is home to the country’s economic capital Mumbai, which is important for investment, FDI and development of Modi 3.0. Apart from this, Maharashtra is also the center of Maratha pride and vocal Dalit-Ambedkarite groups, who have been staunch opponents of the RSS.
keep an eye on opponents
BJP believes that Shiv Sena (UBT) voters will not vote for Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. BJP will try to take advantage of this situation. In the last Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won 16 seats, due to which many voters of Shiv Sena (UBT) are angry. BJP claims that Shiv Sena (UBT) voters do not like Congress. BJP hopes that the same will happen this time too and they will benefit from it.
Focus on organizational strength
A major change in BJP’s election campaign in Haryana was the increasing involvement of RSS. State in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan stressed on strengthening the organizational strength of the party. A party official said, ‘Dharmendra Pradhan comes from ABVP, the student wing of RSS. he/she has very good relations with the RSS, especially with leaders like Dattatreya Hosabale. Similarly, in Maharashtra, Bhupendra Yadav comes from the All India Advocates Council, the lawyers’ wing of the RSS. They know how important RSS is for BJP, so they have made the election campaign worker-centric.
An official said, ‘It is most important to keep the morale of the workers high. Home Minister Amit Shah is holding meetings in groups of 1500 to 2000 workers so that their problems can be understood.
Focus on welfare schemes
The trump card of the alliance’s election campaign will be the populist measures announced by the Chief Minister, including ‘Mukhyamantri Ladki Behan Yojana’ – a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to 2.5 crore women in the age group of 18 to 65 years and Diwali bonus to BMC employees. . The ‘Laadli Behna Yojana’ has received an overwhelming response, and the BJP feels it will be a game-changer, as similar schemes in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had led the BJP to victory in the assembly elections last year. The BJP is working hard in Marathwada, where it is working to ensure that Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil’s agitation does not affect its prospects.
Election campaign with allies
The party has decided with its allies that it will conduct a common election campaign with a common slogan to show a united face. Another functionary said, ‘It is natural, but BJP is being fielded in a direct contest with Congress and in seats where the OBC community is dominant. Wherever there are Marathas, Shinde Sena is our best option. The areas of influence of Ajit Pawar’s candidates have been kept in mind. Sources said Prime Minister Modi’s rallies in Maharashtra are likely to start after Diwali to have more impact. There will be at least one Prime Minister’s rally in each of the 6 divisions of Maharashtra.
reach all castes
The BJP is also reaching out to smaller, non-Maratha communities. Taking a lesson from its strategy in Haryana, the BJP is eyeing a rainbow alliance of communities. In the last few days, about 100 such meetings have been held under the leadership of party leaders. The shift of Dalit votes away from BJP in the Lok Sabha elections is a matter of concern. Sources said that with Kiren Rijiju working on Buddhist Dalits, who form 60 per cent of the Dalit population, the party hopes that the welfare schemes will bring Dalits back to the party. There are nine reserved seats for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes in the state, of which Nandurbar, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Palghar and Dindori are reserved for ST, while Amravati, Ramtek, Latur, Solapur and Shirdi are reserved for SC.
