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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has deployed a team of 26 MPs, 118 legislators and 275 corporators from neighbouring Gujarat, in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, which have 60 Assembly seats and a sizeabale Gujarati population.
They have arrived in phases since last week and are actively participating in poll management. The party is focussing on these seats especially after it broke its 25 year old alliance with Shiv Sena.
This apart, a team of at least 10 party members each from Maharashtra are deployed on 90,500 booths spread across the state. This arrangement has been done with the sole purpose of motivating voters to vote in their respective polling booths.
This is in addition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a record 23 poll rallies and party president Amit Shah along with all union ministers, chief ministers of BJP-ruled states travelling extensively.
A BJP leader, who is currently engaged in poll management, told Business Standard: “This is the party’s well-planned strategy to mobilise support. During the Lok Sabha polls, a large number of party leaders and rank and file had camped in Uttar Pradesh where the party won a record 71 seats. The BJP is confident about riding on the Modi wave and forming the next government in Maharashtra.”
He admitted that the party has given special attention to Mumbai and Maharashtra as a whole after it snapped ties with BJP due to a lack of agreement over seat-sharing.
The BJP’s move comes close on the heels of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackery comparing the Modi team with the army of 17th Century Bijapur general Afzal Khan. “What are they up to? First Modi comes to the campaign, then his entire cabinet team is campaigning for votes in Maharashtra. They are like the army of Afzal Khan trying to conquer this state,” Uddhav had said.
Uddhav’s scathing remark has not gone down well in BJP. However, BJP has put up a strong defence in favour of Modi saying that Modi has been their leader and has proved his mettle in the Lok Sabha poll and his charisma will work also in the state Assembly poll also.
