MUMBAI: The leaders of the ruling saffron alliance in Maharashtra have advised their legislators to avoid being part of any misinformation campaign by engaging in pointless discussions as they prepare for the upcoming Assembly polls.
“Focus on your work” was the mantra during a joint meeting of BJP and Shiv Sena MLAs addressed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday, said one of the legislators. The meeting was held as part of preparations for the polls.
Of late there have been statements and counter statements about who would be the chief minister after the elections, following heated debates on the issue between members of the two parties. The legislators were advised on Monday to avoid such statements.
The details of who would contest how many seats, which seats would be left for whom, and what is the formula for the CM’s post have been decided while finalising the alliance, they were told. Answers to these questions would come into the public domain in due course.
Till then discussions on such issues need to be avoided, the legislators were advised, said sources.
The MLAs were also asked to submit a report on their work in their respective constituencies.
Earlier, in an internal meeting of the BJP, Fadnavis indicated that nearly half of the MLAs were unlikely to be fielded in the polls. He also appealed to party workers to focus on winning the election in their respective areas rather than engaging in discussions over who would be the next chief minister.
From July 1, the BJP will formally start preparations at all 91,000 booths with the aim to reach out to the maximum number of voters.
Cong MLA Wadettivar elected Oppn leader
Vijay Wadettivar, Congress MLA from Chandrapur who was earlier a Shiv Sena worker, was elected Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly on Monday.
Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe was elected as deputy chairperson of the Legislative Council.
The nomination of the LoP was necessitated after senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil quit the post. Wadettivar had left Shiv Sena in 2005 along with the then LoP Narayan Rane to join the Congress.