Reeling from Lok Sabha poll debacle in Maharashtra, BJP scrambles for course correction: local roadmap to better communication

With the Maharashtra Assembly elections slated for October this year and weeks after it saw its Lok Sabha poll tally in the state dip to 9 seats from 23 in the 2019 polls, the BJP has come up with a two-pronged strategy to reclaim its dominant position in the state.

Highly-placed sources in the state BJP say the party has decided to first put its own house in order and tackle internal rifts before holding discussions with its partners in the ruling Mahayuti coalition – the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy CM Ajit Pawar – over seat-sharing for the Assembly polls.

“Secondly, the party think tank has decided to follow a roadmap, largely designed by state leaders, and not the one thrust onto them by the central leadership,” sources said.

At a recent meeting of the state BJP leaders, held to analyse the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, they concluded that “centralised politics” was one of the key factors that led to the party’s failure in the recent polls. “The script came from the Centre. Our role was only to implement it in letter and spirit. We also got swayed by the Modi factor and ignored local issues. Our opponents took advantage of this,” a senior BJP leader said.

The BJP is now also focusing on restoring confidence among its cadre and addressing the “lack of communication and coordination” between the cadre and leadership. “All organisational decisions are imposed on the cadre without adequate consultations. They are like an audience in a theatre,” a senior BJP minister said while requesting anonymity.

The minister also emphasised on the need to restore effective communication within the organisation. “The lack of communication remains the