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  Metros   Mumbai  07 Jun 2018  BJP plots to keep numbers intact in state

BJP plots to keep numbers intact in state

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Jun 7, 2018, 5:58 am IST
Updated : Jun 7, 2018, 5:58 am IST

Amit Shah has also asked party leaders from the state to be ready with a plan to go solo in the elections.

Mr Shah reached Matoshree to meet Uddhav Thackeray at around 7.30 pm
 Mr Shah reached Matoshree to meet Uddhav Thackeray at around 7.30 pm

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is working on a strategy to keep its Lok Sabha 2014 election tally intact in Maharashtra. Sources claimed that the party will concentrate on Mumbai, Thane and Vidarbha regions, where it can grow stronger in the run-up to the elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah has also asked party leaders from the state to be ready with a plan to go solo in the elections, even as the party is willing to go the extra mile to forge an alliance with the Shiv Sena.

As per the 2014 seat-sharing formula, the BJP contested 27 seats while Sena contested 21. BJP won 23 out of 27 whereas Sena won 18. In Mumbai and Thane, there are 10 Lok Sabha seats, of which the Bharatiya Janata Party and Sena contested five, each. In Vidarbha, there are 10 Lok Sabha seats, of which the Bharatiya Janata Party contested six and the Sena four. If both parties contest the elections separately, the Bharatiya Janata Party will bear losses in the western Maharashtra and Marathwada regions. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party believes it can compensate for those losses with the seats in Mumbai, Thane and Vidarbha.

Sources said that Mr Shah has asked state BJP chief Raosaheb Danve and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to prepare a plan for contesting these seats, solo. The plan will be used in case the Sena goes to polls on its own. But sources were also quick to add that Mr Shah has cleared in the internal meeting that he is hoping for an alliance with the Sena. During Mr Shah’s Wednesday meeting with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, the former is believed to have said, “There should be an alliance between both parties as our vote base is almost the same and we do not want division of votes to take place.”

Tags: amit shah, lok sabha 2014 election