MUMBAI: Amid mounting tension over seat-sharing in the BJP-led Mahayuti in poll-bound Maharashtra, senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Monday held a closed-door meeting with the alliance partners, emphasising the crucial role of unity for its success in the assembly polls and cautioning them against airing their internal differences in public.
The union minister was in Mumbai to pay obeisance to Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesha and later visited the official residences of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.
Sources said after arriving at Mumbai airport, the senior BJP leader held a closed-door meeting with Shinde, Fadnavis, Ajit Pawar and NCP leader Praful Patel, where he directed these leaders to remain united for the upcoming Maharashtra state assembly election. The meeting was held for an hour, and the next meeting of alliance partners is scheduled for Delhi.
“Shah also ensured that all alliance partners would get the honourable seats to contest in the state assembly elections. Besides, the alliance partners should reach out to the people with public welfare schemes and programs.
The internal survey report was also discussed in the meeting. The respective alliance partners should drop the MLAs who are facing anti-incumbency. The seats will be swapped,” informed a leader who was a part of the meeting, requesting anonymity.
Also, the meeting discussed that the state assembly elections would be a very close contest, and therefore, the person who can win should be given the ticket and fielded, he added.
Winnability is the only criterion when allocating tickets in the elections. The alliance partners were asked to convene a meeting of the respective party ministers, MLA and leaders and strictly warn them not to air anything that would damage the prospect of the alliance in elections.
The perception is very important, and Mahayuti should not lose that battle. The reason for the changing constitutions and ending reservations narrative by Oppositions had damaged the BJP and its alliance partners in a big way in the last Lok Sabha elections.
Therefore, minor errors should be avoided, the source went on to say. The meeting, the source said, was informed that the CM face should only be discussed after the election result.