BJP to consider joining hands with MNS

The top leadership of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may discuss the idea of roping in the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena as an ally to dethrone the Congress-Nationalist Congress party (NCP) combine.

The top leadership of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may discuss the idea of roping in the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena as an ally to dethrone the Congress-Nationalist Congress party (NCP) combine.

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The state BJP’s three-day long Chintan Baithak will start from Friday at Uttan at the Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini where they will brainstorm on the party’s future course of action in Maharashtra state politics.

Top state leaders and Maharashtra convener Venkaiah Naidu will be present for the meet. National BJP President Nitin Gadkari is also expected to take part.

The meet is being held as part of the party’s efforts to chalk out a strategy for the 2014 assembly and parliamentary elections.

The BJP has not been able to make its mark in the state winning only nine of the 48 Lok Sabha seats and 46 of the 288 Legislative Assembly seats.

A section of the BJP feels that in order to increase its representational power, the party needs to have an arrangement with the Raj Thackeray-led MNS.

The party leadership is also likely to discuss the drought situation in the state along with a review of its alliance with the Shiv Sena and the Republican Party of India. There have been internal rumblings between these two parties after the Sena backed the Congress instead of the BJP in Chandrapur mayor elections.

The RPI too is threatening to move out. “The meeting is to evaluate our performance and take stock of the political situation,” said BJP state president Sudhir Mungattiwar.