Chandrapur: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda will launch the campaign from Chandrapur on Monday as part of the party’s plan to win 18 “difficult” seats from Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a BJP leader said. Nadda will address rallies in Chandrapur in eastern Maharashtra and Aurangabad in Marathwada region. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP failed to retain the Chandrapur constituency, which was won by the Congress, the only seat currently held by the Grand Old Party in Maharashtra, which sends 48 members to the Lok Sabha.
According to sources, the BJP has revised its national target of “difficult” Lok Sabha seats to win from 144 to 160 in the 2024 elections.
He said the saffron party has identified 18 “difficult” constituencies in Maharashtra.
District BJP president Devrao Bhongale said on Sunday, “JP Nadda will start the campaign from Chandrapur district on January 2 with a mega Vijay Sankalp rally in Chandrapur.”
He said that Nadda would offer prayers at the famous temple of Goddess Mahakali in Chandrapur town.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 23 of the 25 seats it contested in Maharashtra (out of a total of 48), while the party’s erstwhile ally Shiv Sena won 18.
BJP’s Lok Sabha meetings coordinator Sanjay alias Bala Bhegde said, “Nadda will address his first rally in Chandrapur on Monday, followed by an organizational meeting. His second rally will be held in Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) in Marathwada region.”
For a long time, the Aurangabad Lok Sabha constituency was represented by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena.
In 2019, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) wrested the Aurangabad seat from Shiv Sena.
The BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebnachi Shiv Sena are eyeing the constituency after the split in Shiv Sena last June.
Nadda will be accompanied by Maharashtra’s Union ministers Nitin Gadkari and Raosaheb Danve, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, among others.