Pune: The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "Chintan Baithak" (strategic meeting), initially scheduled for Sunday, July 14, in Pune, has been postponed to July 21. This meeting is crucial in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will guide key state leaders during the meeting at Balewadi. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, along with all MPs, MLAs, and city and district heads from Maharashtra, will attend the meeting.
With Assembly elections likely to be held in October, the BJP faces significant challenges from the strengthened opposition following the Lok Sabha election results. The meeting will focus on strategizing to win the maximum number of seats in the Assembly elections, considering the changed political landscape and the unification of opposition parties.
The meeting was postponed due to the recent passing of State President Chandrashekhar Bawankule's mother.
In preparation for the meeting, BJP officials inspected the Balewadi ground. Several central and state ministers are expected to arrive in Pune a day before the meeting, and accommodation arrangements are being made at various five-star hotels.
Amit Shah will stay in Pune on Saturday, July 20. The meeting is expected to be attended by at least 3,000 party officials, according to city president Dheeraj Ghate.
In the last two Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured the Pune seat with over three lakh votes when Anil Shirole won in 2014 and Girish Bapat in 2019.
However, with a winning hat-trick, this lead was not maintained in the current election. Murlidhar Mohol of the BJP defeated Congress candidate Ravindra Dhangekar by approximately 1.5 lakh votes, which is half the margin seen in earlier contests.
The decreased victory margin is concerning, especially with upcoming Assembly elections and civic polls.