BJP may already have formed a government in Maharashtra with Devendra Fadnavis sworn-in as CM and with the support of a rebel faction of MLAs from the NCP led by Ajit Pawar, but it has got its task cut out. BJP faces a certain floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly where the party has to prove its majority.
Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress have left no stone unturned in making sure that they keep their flock of MLAs together and away from any poaching. The three parties have repeatedly asked for an immediate floor test in the assembly.
In the Supreme Court, earlier on Sunday, a plea was heard where the combined front of Sena-NCP-Congress argued against the validity of the decision taken by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Khoshiyari to swear in Fadnavis as the CM and Ajit Pawar as his deputy. The post-poll alliance of the three parties claimed that they have the numbers and asked for the floor test at the earliest.
It is because of this uphill task that BJP has formulated 'Operation Lotus'.
Operation Lotus: Aimed at 145 mark in Maharashtra Assembly floor test
The BJP has made a plan in which 4 of their major leaders will play a key role in achieving 145 mark in the Maharashtra Assembly. These leaders will be -- Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Ganesh Naik, Narayan Rane and Babanrao Lonikar.
The reason for choosing these four leaders is that Vikhe Patil and Rane are former members of the Congress party and would be familiar with some of the MLAs from the INC while Babanrao and Ganesh Naik are former members of the NCP and could be helpful there.
As per reports, Devendra Fadnavis will be holding a meeting with the BJP MLAs today after which he will be meeting the BJP core committee members. State BJP President Chandrakant Patil and senior BJP leaders Vinod Tawde and Ashish Shelar will reportedly be present in the meeting.
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