2019 polls: Let them unite, fight with your might, Amit Shah tells Maharashtra BJP

BJP president tells state leaders to ensure the BJP’s win, even if Congress, Sena and NCP get together against them

Two days after the Shiv Sena’s flip-flop over supporting the no-confidence trust motion against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah asked the state leadership to ensure party’s top finish during the upcoming Lok Sabha and state polls, even if all three main political parties — Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena — unite against it.

BJP president Amit Shah. (HT File Photo)

While opponents Congress and NCP have decided to contest the 2019 polls together against the BJP, the decision on saffron alliance is still in a limbo.

While Shah did not mention Shiv Sena during a review meeting at Dadar, the takeaway for the party leadership and workers was to prepare for the polls solo, without waiting for a decision on the saffron alliance, said a senior party leader, who attended the meetings.

“Shah’s focus was on getting the party organisation in electoral mode. While he did not mention the Sena, he said the BJP should poll more than 50% of the vote share so that even if other parties contest against it, we will win the seats,’’ said a senior party leader.

Shah held organisational meetings for election preparedness on Sunday. He held a meeting with the Lok Sabha ‘toli’ (gang), comprising senior state leaders, who are part of the state’s extended core committee. The ‘toli’ includes chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, state party president Raosaheb Danve, finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, revenue minister Chandrakant Patil, education minister Vinod Tawde, city unit chief Ashish Shelar, women and child development minister Pankaja Munde among others. He also addressed a meeting of state’s 288 party workers, appointed as vistaraks, for as many constituencies. He also chaired a similar review meeting with Goa’s Lok Sabha ‘toli’.

“The party president’s message was that our electoral preparations are not dependent on the alliance. Our senior leadership feels that if they (Sena) join us, good; if not, we still have to win. In the 2014 polls, when the alliance broke last minute ahead of the Assembly polls, we did well because we had activated our booth level workers,’’ added the senior leader.

Shah stressed on connecting with people at the grass roots level. He suggested that this can be achieved by keeping in touch with at least five families and celebrating festivals at the booth level, and putting in place 25 workers per booth, etc.

“We have been asked to keep a list of government scheme beneficiaries at the booth level, re-activate our social media supporters etc. Basically, we have been asked to get into poll mode aggressively,’’ said one vistarak.

The BJP did not release any official communication on Shah’s review meetings. Shah has been on a nationwide tour to review the organisational machinery of the BJP ahead of the 2019 polls. The tour ended on Sunday.