The editorial said the 2019 polls could be the reason behind the BJP chief’s outreach programme.
HOURS before Wednesday’s meeting between BJP chief Amit Shah and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, the Sena mocked the BJP’s ‘Sampark Abhiyan’ and reiterated that it would contest the 2019 polls solo. “PM Narendra Modi is touring the world and BJP chief Amit Shah is touring the country as part of their ‘Sampark Abhiyan’. Shah will be meeting NDA allies. But what exactly will he do? It has to be asked why he is conducting these meetings now after the BJP suffered defeats in bypolls. Sena will contest the 2019 elections solo. The Palghar bypoll results have shown the Sena’s strength,” the party said in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana.
The editorial said the 2019 polls could be the reason behind the BJP chief’s outreach programme. “But, the ruling party has lost contact with the public and it should find reasons for this,” it said, adding that the Sena’s path is always based on public connect and that it doesn’t require “poster boys” to win polls. It further said that in the Palghar bypoll campaign, Modi and Shah were missing from BJP’s posters at many places. Instead, late BJP MP Chintaman Wanga’s photo was used despite the family’s objections, having shifted allegiance to the Sena.
“After the Palghar bypoll victory, Wanga’s photo is missing from BJP posters. Modi and Shah are back on the posters,” the editorial said.
It added Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu had broken ties with the BJP. “So, is a visit to Naidu included in Shah’s outreach effort?” the Sena asked. “The winds of change of government are blowing in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. A change of government is imminent in Maharashtra as well,” it added.