Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said the 'Mahayuti' alliance aims to win more than 45 of the total 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state and will start preparatory meetings from January 14 for the next general polls.

Addressing a press conference here, Bawankule also claimed that workers and leaders from the opposition parties would switch over to the ruling side ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due later this year. Mahayuti comprises the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).?

The alliance leaders will start preparatory meetings for the Lok Sabha polls from January 14, Bawankule said addressing the mediapersons along with NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Sunil Tatkare and state cabinet minister Dada Bhuse from the Shiv Sena. The Mahayuti leaders will hold rallies on January 14 simultaneously all the districts of the state. The meetings will be held to connect with the booth-level workers, Bawankule said.?

The alliance partners will complete the division-level meetings by mid-February, he said.? "We are preparing to win 45 plus Lok Sabha seats in the forthcoming elections. All the parties will try to expand their base in the state," the BJP leader said.

He claimed that workers and leaders from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will switch over to the ruling allies ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. "You will see only leaders on the MVA side, but there will be no one (workers to campaign) in front of them," Bawankule said.