Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024: BJP Plans To Bring Forward OBC, Maratha Faces In Collective Leadership Plan After Lok Sabha Debacle, Says Report

Mumbai: In an effort to address the growing unrest among Marathas and OBCs, the BJP's central leadership is advocating for collective leadership in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. According to a report by Hindustan Times, this decision follows the party's poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections and a request from Devendra Fadnavis to be relieved of his deputy chief minister duties.

During a meeting of the BJP core committee on Tuesday, which included key state leaders, Union Home Minister Amit Shah voiced his dissatisfaction with the party's performance in Maharashtra. Despite Fadnavis being asked to remain as deputy CM, the central leadership decided to appoint second-in-command leaders for various regions, said the report. This strategy aims to appease OBC and Maratha communities by placing leaders from these groups in areas where they are predominant.

Maratha & OBC Leaders To Be Sent To Local Level

A senior BJP leader while speaking to HT stated that the party's losses in Marathwada were largely due to the Marathas' discontent with the party. Additionally, OBCs were upset with the government's decision to consider including Marathas in the OBC quota, which negatively impacted the party in Vidarbha.

To address these issues, prominent Maratha and OBC leaders such as Vinod Tawde, Ashish Shelar, Pankaja Munde and Chandrashekhar Bawankule will be mobilised to engage with their communities at the local level. The hope is that this approach will improve the party's prospects in the assembly elections.

Despite Fadnavis' request to step down, the central leadership decided that he should continue in his role, although his powers will be shared among other leaders. This move is intended to foster a sense of collective responsibility ahead of the assembly polls, following complaints from some BJP leaders about feeling marginalized.

Another BJP leader told HT that the decision to distribute leadership roles came after reports of poor coordination within the state unit. Long-time loyalists felt overshadowed by newcomers to the party, leading to discontent. The leadership is taking these concerns seriously and hopes that the new appointments will address this dissatisfaction.

BJP's Potential Picks For Regional Chiefs

According to the report, the BJP leadership plans to appoint Pankaja Munde and Raosaheb Danve to oversee Marathwada, while Vidarbha's responsibilities will be handed to state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Sudhir Mungantiwar.

Ashish Shelar and Vinod Tawde are expected to manage Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), with former Union Minister Narayan Rane potentially overseeing the Konkan region.

State Minister Girish Mahajan and Eknath Khadse may take charge of North Maharashtra, pending Khadse's induction into the BJP. Western Maharashtra is likely to be managed by former state unit chief Chandrakant Patil and Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.

This strategy aims to harness the strengths of local leaders to bridge gaps within the party and improve its standing among key voter groups, thereby enhancing its chances in the upcoming assembly elections.