The new BJP president in Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has infused some young blood into the BJP state executive team. BJP leader Gopinath Munde seems to be the biggest beneficiary in the reshuffle as his daughter Pankaja Munde-Palve has been appointed as the chief of the party’s state youth wing as well as women’s wing. State general secretary Raghunath Kulkarni, a Nitin Gadkari loyalist, has also been shunted out.
BJP leaders, however, claimed that there was no lobbying for the posts and Munde’s daughter was appointed on the basis of her work in the organisation. “She has done outstanding work for the party in Beed where she is an MLA,” said a BJP leader.
The appointment of Mr Munde’s daughter as the youth wing chief in the state was being speculated for the past two days among the BJP circles. According to BJP leaders, Pankaja’s name was being considered for the state executive as the general secretary or as the chief of its youth wing, eventually it was decided to give her the latter along with charge of the women’s wing.
The appointment of Mr Munde’s daughter is significant as former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari who is Mr Munde’s rival was against having his man Sudhir Mungantiwar removed as the state BJP chief in favour of Mr Fadnavis. On the other hand, Mr Munde had backed Mr Fadnavis for the party’s state president post.
A senior BJP leader said, “People have been given representation in the new team as per their work and not the factions they represent. Mr Fadnavis has tried to give representation to new faces and opportunities to a number of people from Vidarbha, Marathwada and Pune in his new team. More then 80 per cent comprise new faces.”
BJP MLA Jaykumar Rawal, who had been suspended among other legislatures for allegedly beating up a policeman on the premises of the state legislature, has been made one of the general secretaries by the state unit president Devendra Phadnavis. Besides Rawal, BJP MLA Chainsukh Sancheti, the elder brother of Ajay Sancheti, purportedly a close aide of former BJP president Nitin Gadkari, has been made one of the 14 vice-presidents of the state unit.