BJP-Sena top brass ask leaders not to target each other

Riding high on the Lok Sabha results, the BJP-Shiv Sena saffron alliance on Monday sounded the bugle for the September-October Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections.

In a development that has surprised the opposition, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray addressed the party MLAs and MLCs at the Vidhan Sabha complex.

Leaders of both the parties said that winnability will be the criteria- an indication that some sitting legislators would be dropped.

The joint meeting coincides with the monsoon session of Maharashtra legislature- the last before the next elections.

Before the joint meeting commenced, water resources minister Girish Mahajan, a close aide of Fadnavis met Thackeray.

On Saturday, Mahajan had said that BJP was "big brother" and that even reflects on numbers and hence the next chief minister would be from BJP. However, the comment has not gone down well among the Sena leadership.

In the meeting, leaders of both the parties have been advised to be mum on this issue and avoid targetting each other's leaders directly or indirectly, particularly while speaking to media.