BJP assessing ‘what went wrong’ despite sweeping BMC elections: Report
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has emerged as the clear winner in the recently concluded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, securing 89 seats, the highest number of seats a party has won alone since 2002. However, despite this impressive performance, the party is reportedly assessing what went wrong, as it had hoped to win 110 seats. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, BJP leaders believe that the reasons for this shortfall could be attributed to a lack of coordination within the Mumbai unit and the party’s failure to effectively counter the “Mumbai pride” pitch of the Thackeray cousins.
The BMC elections, which were held on February 21, saw the BJP making significant gains, with the party’s tally increasing by 49 seats compared to the 2017 elections. The Shiv Sena, which had been the dominant party in the BMC for over two decades, won 84 seats, while the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won 17 and 9 seats, respectively. The BJP’s performance in the BMC elections is being seen as a significant achievement, given the party’s limited presence in the city’s civic body in the past.
However, despite this impressive performance, the BJP’s state leadership is reportedly unhappy with the party’s failure to reach its target of 110 seats. According to the Hindustan Times report, BJP leaders believe that the party’s inability to effectively counter the “Mumbai pride” pitch of the Thackeray cousins, who are the leaders of the Shiv Sena, was a major factor in the party’s shortfall. The Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, had launched a high-profile campaign in the run-up to the elections, emphasizing the need to protect Mumbai’s identity and culture.
Another reason cited by BJP leaders for the party’s shortfall is the lack of coordination within the Mumbai unit. According to the report, there were differences within the party over ticket distribution, with some leaders feeling that the party had not given adequate representation to local leaders and workers. This lack of coordination is believed to have affected the party’s performance in some areas, where the BJP’s candidates were not able to garner sufficient support from local leaders and workers.
The BJP’s assessment of its performance in the BMC elections is significant, given the party’s ambitions to expand its presence in the state. The party has been working to increase its footprint in Maharashtra, where it has traditionally been weak, and the BMC elections were seen as a crucial test of the party’s strength in the state. While the party’s performance in the BMC elections is certainly impressive, the fact that it fell short of its target suggests that there are still challenges that the party needs to address in order to achieve its goals.
The BJP’s state leadership is expected to conduct a thorough review of the party’s performance in the BMC elections, with a focus on identifying the reasons for the party’s shortfall. The party is likely to take steps to address the issues that led to its shortfall, including improving coordination within the Mumbai unit and developing a more effective strategy to counter the “Mumbai pride” pitch of the Thackeray cousins.
In conclusion, the BJP’s performance in the BMC elections is a significant achievement, given the party’s limited presence in the city’s civic body in the past. However, the party’s failure to reach its target of 110 seats suggests that there are still challenges that the party needs to address in order to achieve its goals. The BJP’s assessment of its performance in the BMC elections is a crucial step in this process, and the party’s state leadership will need to take a hard look at the reasons for the party’s shortfall in order to develop a more effective strategy for the future.
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