Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday ruled out any change in its leadership in Maharashtra after its poor showing in the Lok Sabha elections and asserted that it is working on a blueprint for the Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP coalition to emerge victorious in the assembly polls, due later this year.
The decision was taken at the Maharashtra BJP's core group meeting with party president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"There will be no change in leadership in Maharashtra," Union Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters at the BJP headquarters.
The leaders discussed the strategy to ensure the re-election of the MahaYuti alliance in the upcoming assembly elections, Goyal said.
The meeting was attended by senior BJP leaders BL Santosh, Bhupender Yadav, Ashwini Vaishnaw, state BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Chandrakant Patil, Pankaja Munde, Raosaheb Danve and Vinod Tawde, among others.
The BJP won nine seats in Maharashtra in the recent Lok Sabha elections, down from its 2019 tally of 23.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had offered to resign from the MahaYuti government of Shiv Sena-BJP-NCP and focus on the organisation to win the September-October assembly elections.
Speculation was also rife in the state over the continuance of the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the ruling alliance.
"We have prepared a blueprint for the upcoming assembly elections and how to win it along with the MahaYuti alliance partners," Fadnavis said after the meeting.
The meeting at the BJP headquarters also discussed the party's performance in the Lok Sabha elections.
Fadnavis said the difference between the vote share of the ruling MahaYuti and the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was just 0.3 per cent and the leaders discussed in detail the shortcomings and strengths of the BJP in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had won 41 out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in the 2019 elections. This cumulative number of the present day National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came down to 17 seats -- nine for the BJP, seven for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and one member of the NCP.
Fadnavis said the leaders discussed the Lok Sabha election performance and planned the blueprint for the upcoming assembly polls.
He added that the BJP leaders will also talk with the Shiv Sena and the NCP on the strategy for the assembly elections.