There will be little in the form of pizzazz and pageantry at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s national executive meeting, to be held in Mumbai on May 24-25. The prevailing drought-like situation in many parts of the state has cast a long shadow on all the enthusiasm. The party has now decided to make the event an austere affair, unlike the 2005 edition held in Bandra coinciding with BJP’s 25 years of existence.

Bittersweet: A party insider said the event had been planned as a gala affair, given Maharashtra man Nitin Gadkari currently occupies the BJP president’s post, but things have been toned down in view of the drought conditions in the state. File pic