BJP Chintan Baithak Shifted to Shimla

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday shifted the venue of its August 17-19 ‘Chintan Baithak’ from Thane to Shimla.  While party leaders attributed the shift to sultry Thane weather, media reports say the move may be viewed as a preemptive damage control measure ahead of the looming Assembly elections in Maharashtra.

Announcing the decision, news reports decoded the move as a “bid to prevent any damage to the party’s prospects in the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections through leakage of information about internal squabbles”

BJP leaders, however, said the shift in venue was necessitated by hor wearger conditions prevalent in Thane.

While announcing that the dates for the conclave would remain unchanged, Deputy Leader of BJP in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said: “During one of our discussions it was generally suggested that we should shift the venue to a hill station as Thane would be too hot. So this decision was taken.”