Mumbai, Oct 1 (PTI) Union minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Tuesday asked party leaders and workers in Maharashtra to resolve internal differences ahead of the crucial assembly elections in the state.
An organisation where workers function in different directions never succeeds, BJP sources quoted Shah as telling a party gathering in Mumbai.
On his third visit to Maharashtra in a fortnight, Shah held a meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs and a select group of party workers.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and the party’s Mumbai unit head Ashish Shelar were present at the meeting in Dadar where Shah addressed the gathering.
Shah asked party workers to iron out internal differences before the elections that are expected to be held in November, BJP sources said.
“There are differences of opinion even in a family. If there is disappointment about an MLA or Member of Parliament, an amicable solution should be found so that voters remain with the party,” Shah was quoted as saying.
The BJP’s key election strategist asked local leaders to appoint ten workers for every polling booth.
These workers should remain active within the booth jurisdiction from Dussehra (October 12) until the last day of the campaign, Shah said.
“An organisation where workers function in different directions never succeeds. We need to address these differences before the elections,” Shah stressed.
“The state BJP unit will draw up a plan ahead of the polls. Party workers should reach out up to the ward-level and it will ensure our victory,” he said.
The senior BJP leader also asked workers to refrain from seeking votes when enrolling new party members.
“Do not ask new members to vote for the BJP when registering. Once they become members, they will realise the importance of voting. Party workers should aspire to add 20 new voters in every booth,” he said.
“There are certain types of tasks which no one wants to undertake. However, a loyal party worker is one who takes up such critical tasks and completes them. Disagreement takes place when people start working together. We should be able to overcome such disagreements,” Shah was further quoted as saying.
Bawankule later told reporters, “Shah has asked (Maharashtra BJP) to undertake ‘Ghar Chalo Abhiyan’, a campaign to reach every home in the state with the message of our government’s development works.” The former BJP president also called for strengthening the party’s booth-level network and ensuring higher turnout in the upcoming elections, Bawankule said.
The BJP is part of the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state that also includes the Shiv Sena and the NCP.
Last month, Shah visited the Vidarbha region where he engaged with party workers and local legislators, and also North Maharashtra, Marathwada and Western Maharashtra.
In 2019, the BJP had won 105 out of the 164 assembly seats it contested in Maharashtra. It had a pre-poll alliance with the undivided Shiv Sena then. Of 36 assembly seats in Mumbai, the saffron party had won 16.
But in the 2024 general elections, the national party fared badly, winning only nine of the 28 Lok Sabha seats it contested in the state. PTI ND KRK RSY
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