Amit Shah holds meeting with select party leaders in Mumbai

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 23 seats, while the Shiv Sena had bagged 18 constituencies.

In the wake of the BJP’s defeat in the three Hindi heartland states, party chief Amit Shah held a closed-door meeting with select leaders from Maharashtra on Tuesday night, party sources said.

BJP president Amit Shah speaks during a press conference at BJP Headquarter, in New Delhi on December 7. (Mohd Zakir/HT File Photo)

Shah, who arrived in Mumbai late in the evening is scheduled to stay at Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai and discuss about the situation in the state.

Maharashtra has 48 Lok Sabha seats. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had won 23 seats, while the Shiv Sena had bagged 18 constituencies.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has already announced that his party would contest the elections solo, which has left the BJP all the more anxious as it does not want division of votes.

“It is not the Shiv Sena alone that has indicated to stay away from the BJP, but other alliance partner such as Raju Shetti, an influential farmer leader from Maharashtra, has already snapped the ties,” a BJP leader said.

“BJP’s loss in Bhandara Gondia Lok Sabha bypoll also dented the party’s image and appeal as well as that of the state leadership. The loss has added to the party’s woes,” the leader said.

“We have to come up with some better strategy to stay ahead. We are hopeful that Shah would show us the path,” the leader said.