After winning the Lok Sabha elections with a thumping majority, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will personally monitor the Bharatiya Janata Party’s election campaign in Maharashtra.
The State will go to the polls in October.
“ A win will help the BJP grow as a party and also help to implement and coordinate policy decisions,” said Devendra Fadnavis, State BJP president.
“Our party has won large number of seats from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra. Winning elections in these three major States will also increase party’s strength at the national level,” he said.
The State BJP is also banking on the success formula used during the general elections. Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG), the NGO, which ran the public relations machinery for Mr. Modi during the elections is expected to help the party in Maharashtra.
The BJP’s advertising campaign for the recent Lok Sabha polls was planned by ad-man Piyush Pandey. “We are in talks with the same team. They too are interested in working with us again,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
On the seat-sharing formula with the Shiv Sena, Mr. Fadnavis said the changed political equations from the Lok Sabha poll results will have to taken into consideration. As per the old formula, the Sena used to contest on 171 seats and the BJP on 117 seats out of 288.
A section from the BJP has been demanding more seats this time, following the party’s victory in the Lok Sabha polls.