With the BJP and Shiv Sena likely to contest state assembly polls together, the ruling party will be forced to drop sitting MLAs — some estimate more than three dozen — to accommodate Sena candidates.
Top BJP sources told DNA the party was planning to drop 30-40 lawmakers to pave the way for Sena candidates as well as some fresh faces.
"After a series of surveys at local level, we got negative feedback about the performance of some of our MLAs. They will be dropped. This is a hard decision but we have to take it in the party's interest," said a senior BJP leader who is close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
He said the party is also considering replacing some big names. "Like in Lok Sabha polls, the age criteria will be considered while allotting tickets to prospective candidates. We want to get elected as many MLAs as we can so we can claim the chair of CM," the BJP leader added.
Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Danve said the next chief minister will be from the BJP.
"We had a meeting in Mumbai with party organisers where a lot of crucial issues were discussed. We are confident of coming back to power," Danve said.
As per the Sena-BJP seat sharing agreement, the two parties will fight 135 seats each in the state, which has 288 assembly constituencies. The remaining 18 will be left for alliance partners. At the moment, the BJP has 122 MLAs, Sena 68, Congress 40 while 41 are from NCP.
A BJP insider told DNA that selection of the right candidates is a tightrope walk for the party leadership.
"There is a steady flow of Congress and NCP leaders into our party, and there is big queue. Since we have temporarily halted this process, many people are going to the Sena now. We are confident of getting more than 200 seats in the state polls. The most should be from our party. We have also started the membership drive," he said.