Feeling a risk in taking the elections on the Mumbai wicket, Mahajan now a Rajya Sabha member could think of Solapur, a place he knows closely for over two decades, has been a general feeling in the town as the preparations are underway at the home grounds.

In the previous elections Congress party general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde had defeated Lingaraj Valyal of BJP. Valyal, earlier, had bagged the seat with a margin of around 20,000 votes against Congress' Dharmanna Sadul.

Dismissing the safe-turf angle to the meeting, city BJP president Col Prabhakar Landge (retd) stated that it was a pre-planned public meeting. He (Mahajan) was in a position to spare some time and wanted it to be utilised to tell people about the national political scenario, Landge said. He also made a point that Mahajan already has announced not to contest any Lok Sabha elections in the future.

Despite Landge who is stated to a contender for the party ticket for Lok Sabha elections, is averse to entertain the Mahajan angle, a few of his colleagues in the party are in the mood to welcome the move. ``The meeting is to create a favourable atmosphere, either for the party or for Mahajan,'' quipped a leader.