Leadership change in Maharashtra? BJP leader Piyush Goyal clears air
What's the story
Union Minister and senior BJP leader, Piyush Goyal, has quashed rumors of a leadership change in the Maharashtra unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This follows the party's underwhelming performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections and rumors that Chandrashekhar Bawankule would be replaced by Rao Saheb Patil as state president. "There will be no change in leadership in Maharashtra," declared Goyal after a meeting with the Maharashtra BJP core committee.
Election strategy
BJP discusses Lok Sabha performance, prepares for Assembly elections
The meeting, led by BJP National President JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressed the reasons behind BJP's disappointing performance in the Lok Sabha elections. They also discussed the strategy for ensuring the MahaYuti alliance's re-election in the next upcoming elections. "We deliberated on reasons along with course corrections. We also discussed the blueprint for the Assembly polls and will hold further discussions with our partners," Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters.
Leadership roles
BJP appoints new in-charge, Fadnavis to continue role
During the meeting, Bhupender Yadav was appointed as Maharashtra's in-charge, with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw serving as co-in-charge. At the same time, Fadnavis was urged by the central leadership to continue his role within the Maharashtra government and work toward organizational goals for the upcoming state Assembly elections. To recall, Fadnavis had offered to resign following the BJP's dismal performance in the Lok Sabha elections but retained his role at the insistence of Shah.
Election preparation
BJP central leadership backs Fadnavis's 'administrative abilities'
According to the Indian Express, the BJP's central leadership has expressed confidence in Fadnavis's administrative abilities and his experience as former chief minister (2014-2019), deeming them crucial for the government ahead of the assembly elections. The party is also planning to build a robust team to collectively shoulder responsibilities for these elections. Details on organizational roles within this team are expected to be decided in the coming days.
2024 results
Maharashtra: BJP wins only 9 seats in Lok Sabha polls
The BJP won just nine seats in Maharashtra, down from 23 in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress, on the other hand, increased their seat share slightly by winning 13 seats in the state. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won seven and one seats, respectively, while the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackrey) got nine seats, and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP won eight seats.