Shiv Sena starts preparing for 2019 Maha elections

The Shiv Sena, a long-term ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has started preparing for the 2019 Assembly polls apparently after its ambition of winning enough seats to rule Maharashtra alone in the 2014 state elections was not fulfilled.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has asked his party ministers to visit drought-hit districts, find out lacunaes in government schemes and allocate financial aid to farmers through party funds. Sena minister Ravindra Waikar said Thackeray has assigned the responsibility of various districts to party ministers. 

“The duty of ministers is to visit the assigned district, meet farmers who could probably commit suicide, counsel them and allocate a token amount from the party,” he said.