Maharashtra BJP unit to campaign in poll-bound states

About 3,500 leaders and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit in Maharashtra are being fanned out to the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Madhya Pradesh (MP), Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat to campaign for the party, as the elections in the state for 48 Lok Sabha seats are over.

Former party president Nitin Gadkari, who contested his maiden Lok Sabha election from Nagpur, has been travelling extensively in UP and Bihar. Senior leader Gopinath Munde, who comes from a politically significant backward community, is on a whirlwind trip to UP and Bihar. Both Gadkari and Munde will address rallies and hold separate meetings with key party functionaries in Varanasi,  hogging the limelight due to the nomination of BJP  prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

BJP's war room in-charge of Maharashtra, Shrikant Bharatiya, has been appointed in-charge of Amethi constituency. Bharatiya, camping there for three days, is heading a 20-member team from Maharashtra, including party legislators Ram Shinde and Bal Bhegde.

BJP CAMPAIGN SQUAD

BJP's former president Nitin Gadkari, who contested from Nagpur Lok Sabha seat, is travelling in UP and Bihar The party’s deputy leader in the 15th Lok Sabha, Gopinath Munde, who contested from the Beed Lok Sabha seat, is campaigning in UP and Bihar BJP’s war room chief for Maharashtra Shrikant Bharatiya (not in poll fray) has been appointed in-charge of the Amethi constituency BJP legislator Ram Shinde  from Karjat-Jamkhed Assembly constituency, Ahmednagar district (Maharashtra), is campaigning in Amethi BJP legislator Bala Bhegde, from Maval Assembly constituency in Pune district, is also in Amethi

Bharatiya told Business Standard:  “Our party leaders and workers are working hard for the victory of BJP candidates in UP, Bihar and other states. Coordination with local workers is not an issue.”

Bharatiya said state party members from Vidarbha, where the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance expects to win all 10 seats, have left for MP. Besides, workers from Dhule, Nandurbar and Jalgaon have moved to Madhya Pradesh.

Some party members from Chandrapur have gone to Andhra Pradesh, where the BJP hopes to put up an impressive show in the wake of its alliance with the Telugu Desam Party.

As far as Gujarat is concerned, BJP leader and former union minister Jayavatiben Mehata said party leaders and workers having their home towns have on their own camping there.