Maharashtra BJP exec meet on Oct 5-6 to review local body poll readiness

The meeting coincides with Maratha community's marches demanding reservation among other issues

The Bharatiya Janata Party's state executive has convened a meeting on October 5 and 6 in Mumbai, to assess how well the party's district units are prepared for the ensuing election to 214 nagar panchayats and municipal councils, 296 panchayat samitis, 26 zilla parishads and 10 municipal corporations.

The polls will take place during November this year and March next year. Termed as "Mini Assembly" polls for a total of 10,678 seats, over 6.2 crore voters are expected to cast their votes.

The meeting is being held even as the unprecedented protest marches by the Maratha community continue and as other backward classes (OBCs) and Muslims across Maharashtra launch protests to press for their demands.

State BJP spokesman Madhav Bhandari told Business Standard, "A two day meet will take stock of the situation of party's ready ness to face coming elections. It will be attended by ministers, legislators, MPs and party's key functionaries."

The timing of the two day meet is crucial when 21 protest marches by the Maratha community have created an uneasy calm in the camps of the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance and opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. Though chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured the government's commitment to provide reservation in jobs and education to the Maratha community, which constitutes 32 per cent of the state population, the organisers of protest marches including Maratha Kranti Morcha have been insisting on its implementation and not mere announcements.

Similarly, opposition parties have cornered the government on this issue and also on other issues including filing of chargesheet and speedy trial against culprits involved in rape and murder of a girl in Kopardi village of Ahmadnagar district. This apart, opposition and protest march organisers have been strongly demanding immediate relief including loan waiver to farmers whose crops have been damaged due to successive drought and now with excess rains. Further, OBCs are against touching their quota to provide reservation to the Maratha community while Muslims are demanding restoration of 5 per cent reservation in education and jobs given by the previous Congress and NCP government.

On top of it, the executive members are expected to air their views on whether to go solo or continue alliance with Shiv Sena in the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation. A large number of party members have already made a strong case for breaking ties with Shiv Sena but the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who enjoys good rapport with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, is believed to be toying a joint fight.

A BJP legislator from the Vidarbha region, who did not want to be named, admitted that the party faces an acid test as the anger of the protesters is naturally against the establishment. "However, these elections are contested locally with local arithmatic but crisis in agriculture will be played up by opponents. BJP will make every effort to reach out to the voters with a slew of decisions so far taken by the government and also its commitment to do more."

Another legislator from the Marathwada region argued that the government has to step in quickly to provide relief to the farmers now affected due to floods.

"Administration should be asked to deliver fast on the ground to avoid unrest which may cost the party heavily," he said.