Big celebrations aren’t unexpected when party delegates from across the state meet for the first time after winning power. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s state convention held in Kolhapur on May 23 and 24 turned out to be more of a serious affair, in which the party went into introspection mode and appealed to the party’s rank and file to make more efforts in terms of reaching out to the masses.

Judging by political parameters, it may seem too early for any party to tread such a path. But then the BJP, which is accused of not fulfilling the people’s aspirations, appears strategic in its approach to meet the new challenge. One prime reason for introspection is the opposition’s rant against PM Narendra Modi and its cascading effect in BJP-ruled states like Maharashtra, where the party is five months short of completing a year in power.