MUMBAI: After a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, the BJP has appointed two Union ministers, Bhupesh Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnav, in-charge and co-in-charge of the party for the assembly elections due later this year. They met state party leaders who were reportedly informed about the leadership’s displeasure with the performance of the state unit in the parliamentary polls.A senior party leader said it was a “confidential meeting.” “We were told that in the Lok Sabha elections, not only small party leaders failed, but big leaders too were unable to deliver. The participants of the meeting were told that if local leaders continued to perform the way they did in LS polls, then it will be difficult for the BJP to return to power in the state,” said the party leader.“Senior leaders have been told not to remain in Mumbai or shuffle between Mumbai and Delhi. They need to be on the ground and visit each assembly constituency. The local cadre has to be strengthened,” said a party source.“We were also told to rectify the vote transfer puzzle in the ruling Mahayuti. We have been asked to form local-level committees in which all three allies, the BJP, Siv Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) will be members,” said the BJP source. The alliance party workers need to attend meetings, and develop synergy. “That will ensure the transfer of votes,” said another BJP leader who attended the meeting.He said they also discussed the Opposition narrative that the ruling party failed to counter it effectively. “We were told that the positive narrative has to be developed and it has to be taken to the people. There has to be an immediate plan to counter the Opposition’s narrative,” said the BJP leader.The local leaders were told that seniors would not interfere in local decisions. “There will be no imposition of decisions from the top leadership decisions,” said the BJP leader. The stress of the party representatives in their talks with Maharashtra leaders was how to work on a strategy to ensure a division of votes of the Opposition. “In Lok Sabha polls, MVA votes were not divided and that enabled them to win 31 LS seats. We were left with only 17,” said the BJP leader.
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