Jharkhand jolt: Fadnavis for new strategy against joint oppn

With the BJP losing power in Jharkhand to JMM-Congress-RJD alliance on Monday, Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday night called for recalibration in strategy for the states where the saffron party is facing a challenge from a united opposition bloc.

Notably, the BJP under Fadnavis lost power in Maharashtra despite winning maximum number of seats in the 288-member Assembly in assembly polls held in October, after its pre-poll ally Shiv Sena parted ways on the issue of the post of chief minister.

The Sena joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in November.

"We will have tomanoeuvre our politics in such a way that where there are multiple parties, we will have to do politics of over 40 per cent (to secure that much vote share) and where there are two parties, we will have to emphasise on (securing the vote share of) over 50 per cent," the former chief minister told reporters.

The Opposition alliance in Jharkhand is on its way to a decisive victory over the ruling BJP under Hemant Soren.

Fadnavis said though the BJP registered higher vote share in Jharkhand, still the two major opposition parties won more seats than the saffron party.

"In this background, we need to understand the political arithmetic, which suggests that if various parties are forming an alliance against the BJP then we will have to increase our strength in that particular state," he said.

Fadnavis further said the BJP will have to think the reasons behind its loss in Jharkhand despite it being the single largest party in that state.