BJP prepares for break-up with Sena

With the Shiv Sena backing UPA nominee Pratibha Patil in the presidential poll, the BJP is gearing up for a future without its ally in Maharashtra.

Sources say the party has asked around 75 senior functionaries to assess the party's strength in each district in the event of the alliance breaking up.

On Sunday, the BJP boycotted the lunch hosted by leader of opposition in the Assembly, Ramdas Kadam, on the penultimate day of the monsoon session, hinting where its ties with the Sena were headed.

On record, though, the BJP said it had to miss the lunch because of a scheduled meeting with senior party leader Sushma Swaraj

BJP sources say the 75 party workers have been asked to visit each Assembly segment and analyse the possible gains or losses if the ties are snapped. They will also find the mood of the party workers at the grassroots. The report will also analyse how the ruling Congress-NCP is placed and whether it is in a position to cash in on the break-up.

The party has called a meeting of senior leaders from the state after the presidential poll. The meeting, to be attended by party national General Secretary Gopinath Munde and others, will review the ties and discuss the reports prepared by the party functionaries.

"Our senior party functionaries are visiting each taluka and trying to review organisational strengths and weaknesses. Besides, we are launching the 'Congress Gaddi Chodo' (Congress, give up power) agitation from August 9. This has nothing to do with our relationship with the Sena,"said party's state spokesman Madhav Bhandari.

He said the reports about snapping of the ties had no significance as there were no major elections in the state till mid-2009.