Not waiting for ally at poll position, BJP preps for all 6 LS seats in city

CM Devendra Fadnavis to meet heads of polling stations in all six constituencies today

There is a Shakti Kendra for each polling station, which includes around five polling booths. We have identified 1,861 kendras across the city and appointed two people to head each of these. SUNIL KARJATKAR,, BJP’S general secretary, (organisation) malavikasmumbaistan@gmail.com @msangghvi

MUMBAI: With no decision on the saffron alliance for the elections yet, the Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started preparations for all six Lok Sabha constituencies in the city.

The party will on Tuesday hold a one-day convention of Shakti Kendra pramukhs – party-appointed heads for each polling station – who will lead the party’s campaign to ensure mobilisation efforts and initiatives reach the worker and voters.

While three of the Lok Sabha seats – North Central, North and North-east – are with the BJP, the remaining, South, South Central and North West, are with the Shiv Sena. “Three seats are with the Sena, but we have activated our ground-level cadre in these constituencies as well. The top brass will take a decision on candidates. Tuesday’s meeting will include representatives from across the six seats. If the alliance doesn’t happen, we have to be ready,” said a senior party functionary.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will address the leaders at the meeting. “There is a Shakti Kendra for each polling station, which includes around five polling booths. We have identified 1,861 kendras across the city and appointed two people to head each of these,” said Sunil Karjatkar, BJP’S general secretary, (organisation).

Karjatkar said the idea behind Shakti Kendra pramukhs was to decentralise the party’s electoral campaign and mobilisation responsibility on booth level. For instance, these pramukhs have been given a 23-point agenda for their areas, which includes goals such as meeting five key people in the locality, identifying five beneficiary families, analysing results of Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and BMC polls to identify weak areas, setting up independent Whatsapp groups for campaign dissemination, among others.

A senior party leader said by charting out work till the booth level, the party was preparing groundwork, especially in weak areas namely South Central or South (both Sena seats). “The talks over the alliance have stretched to a point where it may not work out,” said a senior party leader and legislator.

The state party unit seems split over the future of the saffron tie-up, even though top party leadership has indicated that the alliance was on cards.