With the clock ticking down to the long-pending Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has intensified its campaign preparations. In a significant move, the party's top leadership convened a crucial core committee meeting at the residence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday. The meeting, held with just about 25 days remaining until the polls, focused on crafting a winning strategy and ensuring seamless coordination within the ruling alliance.
High-Level Discussions on Poll Strategy
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who addressed the media after the meeting, confirmed its purpose. He stated that the gathering was centered on preparations for the upcoming civic polls. "It was a core committee meeting. We will hold seat-sharing talks for other parts of the state soon," Fadnavis said. He expressed confidence in resolving any differences with alliance partners promptly, adding that if issues persisted, he and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde would intervene to sort them out.
The high-profile meeting saw attendance from key BJP figures from Nagpur. These included city BJP president Dayashankar Tiwari, MLA Pravin Datke, former MLC Sudhakar Kohale, and other senior party leaders. According to Pravin Datke, the meeting also included heads of various BJP-affiliated cells representing doctors, transporters, traders, and commerce wings.
Focus on Organization and Booth-Level Mobilization
Datke revealed that the discussions were comprehensive, zeroing in on the party's approach to the civic polls, its organizational readiness, and the critical task of booth-level mobilization. The BJP is not entering this election lightly. Having secured victory in the last three consecutive NMC elections, the party is determined to expand its dominance further. In the previous election, the BJP had won a commanding 108 out of the 151 seats. The Congress managed to secure 29 seats, while the BSP got 10, Shiv Sena 2, NCP 1, and an Independent won one seat.
After nearly three years of administrator rule, the city is finally heading to the polls. The BJP has set an ambitious target for itself. Dayashankar Tiwari had recently declared that the party is aiming for 120 seats this time around. Leaders indicated that the campaign would heavily focus on performance-based outreach, connecting with beneficiaries of government schemes, and meticulous coordination with alliance partners.
The Road Ahead for BJP's Nagpur Mission
The meeting at Gadkari's residence underscores the importance the national party is placing on retaining control of Nagpur, a politically significant city in Maharashtra. The BJP's strategy appears to be a mix of leveraging its incumbency record, strengthening its grassroots organization, and ensuring a united front with its allies. As the election date draws nearer, all eyes will be on how this preparation translates into campaigning on the ground in a bid to achieve the party's stated goal of a bigger mandate.
