Maharashtra: BJP holds core group meeting in Mumbai ahead of LS polls

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 31 : The Bharatiya Janata Party Maharashtra on Sunday held a core group meeting at the state headquarters in Mumbai.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankhule were present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, BJP released the 8th list for the Lok Sabha elections, with a total of 11 candidates from Odisha, Punjab and West Bengal.
The list includes the names of several leaders who recently joined the BJP from different parties.
In the 8th list released by the BJP, three candidates belong to Odisha, six from Punjab and two from West Bengal. The BJP has released the names of 418 candidates for the polls.
Leaders like Bhartruhari Mahtab, who was earlier with BJD; Ravneet Singh Bittu, who was earlier with Congress; Sushil Kumar Rinku, who was earlier with the AAP Party; and the wife of Captain Amarinder Singh, Preneet Kaur, who was earlier with Congress; former Indian ambassador Taranjit Singh; and former IPS Officer Debashish Dhar have become part of the list released by the BJP.
The BJP replaced Gurdaspur MP Sunny Deol with Dinesh Singh 'Babbu' in Punjab.
The BJP has fielded two prominent personalities in West Bengal. One is former IPS Devashish Dhar, who has been fielded from Birbhum. The other is the famous doctor of the district, Dr. Pranat Tudu, who has been fielded from the reserved seat of tribal-dominated Jhargram (ST).
Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra will be held in five phases on April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13 and May 20. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The state, with its 48 Lok Sabha seats, is the second-largest contributor to the lower house of Parliament after Uttar Pradesh. Known for its political diversity and significant electoral influence, Maharashtra plays a crucial role in shaping national politics.
In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the largest party with 23 seats, followed by the Shiv Sena with 18 seats.