In a special meeting yesterday, the party’s core committee asked the senior leader to propose the Nagpur MLA’s name for the top job; other contenders were asked to second the decision in a subsequent meet of BJP and allied legislators
The single largest party in Maharashtra finally managed to rein in its top members and choose its state leader. The BJP locked in on its Chief Minister-designate after convincing senior leader Eknath Khadse to give up his claim to the chair and support Devendra Fadnavis.
Devendra Fadanvis
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While Fadnavis had always been the frontrunner, different factions were backing their own leaders, such as Nitin Gadkari from Vidarbha and Eknath Khadse from northern Maharashtra. Former state BJP chief Sudhir Mungantiwar, Parli MLA Pankaja Munde and Borivli MLA Vinod Tawde were also touted as contenders.
After Eknath Khadse (right) agreed to support Devendra Fadnavis, the other contenders reportedly toed the party line
But, party chief Amit Shah had a word with all the leaders and asked them to support Fadnavis in the meeting of legislators, which was held in the Vidhan Sabha yesterday. Tawde was summoned to Delhi on Monday and Shah clearly told him about the party’s decision regarding Fadnavis.
Key meeting
The BJP had been experiencing an internal crisis due to jockeying for the CM’s chair. After Nitin Gadkari’s show of strength in Nagpur, where 39 MLAs supported his bid for the top chair in the state, central leaders reined in the Union Minister for Transport.
It was communicated to him that his services were required in Delhi, and strong disapproval was shown over his pressure tactics. Khadse, too, had launched a campaign of his own, claiming that 30 legislators from northern Maharashtra were backing his claim to the coveted chair.
His contention was that the state has never had a CM from the region. Late in the night on Monday, senior leaders such as O P Mathur and Rajiv Pratap Rudy were closeted with state leaders, including Khadse.
When the issue couldn’t be resolved, another meeting was convened on Tuesday, in which the party core committee managed to convince Khadse to propose the 44-year-old’s name. The others — Mungantiwar, Tawde, Munde were asked to second the decision.
Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Raosaheb Dange and other leaders escorted Khadse, who was visibly upset, to the Vidhan Bhavan. In the official meeting of BJP and allied legislators there, all went according to plan and Fadnavis was elected the new state leader.
A senior leader said it was Khadse alone who had to be specially convinced by the party leaders; the rest had fallen in line. It was argued not to pass any resolution to authorise the central leadership to nominate a CM, as it would have sent wrong signals. In any case, the parliamentary board had already approved the Nagpur South West MLA’s name.
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