BJP ready for pre-poll alliance with Shiv Sena

In 2014, the BJP and the Sena had contested the Lok Sabha elections, held in April-May, as alliance partners. For the Assembly elections in October 2014, the BJP and the Sena snapped the alliance and contested separately.

A senior Sena leader said: “The sitting MPs and MLAs are keen on a BJP-Sena alliance to avoid vote division against the Congress-NCP united front. But there is also a section that is strongly opposed to the alliance.”

At the meet, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis set the stage for BJP’s twin strategy — expansion of organisation and consolidation of alliances with like-minded partners, leading with the Sena.

While the BJP leadership indicated that the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections are likely to be contested separately, planning, preparations and campaigning will start in phases from the next month.

The BJP has decided to launch two campaigns with an aim to consolidate the party’s base at the grass roots. It has constituted 90,000 booths with 10 workers in each.

Under the banner, ‘Seva, Samvad and Swachata’, the party workers will organise padyatras between October 2 this year and January 30, 2019, to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Another campaign that will continue till the Assembly polls relates to taking the government’s work to the people across 40,913 villages in the state.

Mungantiwar said: “It was Mahatma Gandhi who had said that the Congress was formed for the country’s freedom and not for enjoying power. Therefore, it should be dissolved. We will ensure that our party workers and the people fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream by exposing the corrupt Congress party.”