Today in Politics: As Amit Shah heads to Maharashtra, why BJP has its task cut out in crucial battleground

The BJP, it is learnt, has decided that each enactment volition clasp their sitting constituencies, which means 105 seats astatine slightest for it, 40 for the Sena, and 41 for the NCP. This leaves 102 of the 288 full seats inactive undecided.

Senior NCP person and authorities curate Chhagan Bhujbal has said his enactment deserves 85-90 seats having settled for little during the parliamentary elections connected the assurance that it would beryllium compensated during the authorities polls. But whether the BJP agrees is highly doubtful fixed Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis’s connection past week that debased ballot transportation from Ajit Pawar’s enactment was 1 of the reasons for the Mahayuti alliance’s mediocre amusement successful the Lok Sabha polls.

The BJP is said to beryllium pushing for astatine slightest 155 to 160 seats arsenic thing little whitethorn origin unrest wrong its authorities unit. The Sena, meanwhile, is trying to asseverate itself successful Mumbai, Thane, and Konkan, demanding 36 and 24 constituencies respectively successful the archetypal 2 regions.

That determination was a occupation successful the Mahayuti earlier the Lok Sabha polls was evident erstwhile the seat-sharing talks dragged connected for months and that uncertainty percolated down to the grassroots. The BJP, rattled by the Maharastra reversal, volition beryllium looking to debar different repetition this clip too, with a precious fewer weeks near earlier the run hits apical gear.

Apart from seat-sharing, allies, and canvass preparation, Shah whitethorn besides find the Fadnavis question connected his sheet during the visit. As Liz Mathew reported past week, determination were 2 strands of thought wrong the party. While 1 argues that the Deputy CM should beryllium moved to Delhi successful an organisational capacity, the different conception believes removing its astir fashionable look successful the authorities volition nonstop a incorrect awesome up of the election.

Recommended reading: Rocky Maharashtra polls ahead, BJP successful 2 minds implicit Devendra Fadnavis

Will Modi again onslaught Congress implicit ‘corruption’?

There are 3 much days of campaigning near successful Haryana and to springiness the enactment a leg-up successful the last stretch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi volition code his 4th predetermination rally successful the state. The nationalist gathering successful Palwal, astir 80 km from Delhi, is scheduled to commencement astir 4 pm.

In his speeches till now, the PM has focussed connected alleged corruption during Congress regularisation — helium has been bringing up “kharchi, parchi” — and the Opposition party’s attraction of Dalits and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) during its clip successful power, the second successful an evident effort to thrust a wedge betwixt the Congress’s elder leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Jat) and Kumari Selja (Dalit). On Tuesday, expect much of the aforesaid from the PM.

The Congress excessively appears to person realised that it is not arsenic comfortably up arsenic it whitethorn person believed and needs to contiguous a agreed front. The Leader of the Opposition successful the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had mostly been absent from the Haryana run but has embarked connected a yatra, starting Monday, that volition proceed till Thursday. On October 1, Gandhi volition clasp the yatra from Bahadurgarh, covering the Assembly seats that are portion of the Rohtak and Sonipat Lok Sabha constituencies. Gandhi volition beryllium accompanied by Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda and different elder Congress leaders.

Recommended reading: Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra propulsion earlier Haryana wrapper — 5 reasons why