Maharashtra polls: Amit Shah says BJP has good digestion whoever comes is taken in

Shah exhorted everyone to get party workers and office-bearers of opposition parties like the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress parties to join the BJP

NAVI MUMBAI: Union home minister Amit Shah interacted with BJP party workers and leaders from Thane, Konkan and Palghar regions in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday to boost their morale for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Asking them to set aside their differences, work vigorously and ignore adverse surveys, he assured them of victory. This was Shah’s third visit to the state in a month.

Union home minister Amit Shah met with party functionaries from Mumbai's 36 assembly constituencies at Yogi Hall in Dadar on Thursday to review preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

The evening meeting, held at Vashi, came after an earlier conclave in Mumbai with functionaries from 36 Mumbai assembly constituencies. The Navi Mumbai meeting was crucial, as functionaries from 39 assembly constituencies were present: Thane (18), Palghar (6) Raigad (7), Ratnagiri (5) and Sindhudurg (3). Shah was accompanied by deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Narayan Rane and Ganesh Naik among others.

In a sanguine speech, Shah exhorted everyone to get booth-level party workers and office-bearers of opposition parties like the Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP) and Congress parties to join the BJP. “Do what you need to do, use all means,” he said. “Increase our vote share by 10% any which way.”

Targeting leaders who are upset about being possibly denied a ticket, Shah stated, “I guarantee you that the BJP has very good digestion—whoever comes will be assimilated. Those who want to leave can do so happily. The party has grown from two seats to become the ruling party several times. Even I was denied a ticket, I did not sulk. Thousands of party workers haven’t got anything but are still working for it.”

The union home minister told party workers that every worker needed to ensure the votes of four families. “If this is done, we will get a two-thirds majority,” he said. “No one can defeat us.”

Declaring that all eyes were on Maharashtra, he said that the BJP needed to be further strengthened “by resolving all differences immediately and not being lethargic or swayed by adverse surveys”. “Take the positives from the Lok Sabha election,” he exhorted.