Maharashtra state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed that more people from the Opposition camp would join the BJP ahead of the elections in 2024.
BJP leader also said he cannot guess any names from the Opposition bloc who might switch their loyalties. The elections to Lok Sabha as well as the Maharashtra Assembly are due next year.
More people from the other side (opposition) will join BJP ahead of elections in 2024. I cannot tell now who will jump, but the time will decide, he said. When state finance minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the state budget recently under the leadership of chief minister Eknath Shinde, the facial expressions of Opposition leaders were self-explanatory. You will see when Fadnavis will present the next budget (2024-25), many will change their political affiliations to join BJP, Bawankule claimed.
I cannot comment on any formula about the proportion of seats to be contested by the BJP and the Shiv Sena. It will be decided by top leaders. Today, there is a strong and able chief minister in the state, he said.
On Sunday, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced ahead of the last assembly elections in Bihar that Nitish Kumar would be the next chief minister as both parties (BJP and JDU) were contesting jointly. Despite Nitish Kumar's party winning fewer seats than the BJP, Modiji kept his word and Kumar was made the chief minister, he claimed.