With former Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) president Nitin Gadkari, being forced to step down as the national president of the party, his rivals in his home state, Maharashtra, have now gone pro active in the state politics. With a new state president to be elected soon, the battle lines between deputy leader of BJP in Lok Sabha, Gopinath Munde and his bete noir Gadkari have been clearly drawn as both leaders are aggressively pushing their candidates for the post.
The former BJP president is pushing his weight behind the current state president Sudhir Mungantiwar and is in favour of extending the tenure of Mungantiwar for one more term. Sources say that Mungantiwar as the party president can ensure that Gadkari’s clout in the state politics still remains. Earlier it was assumed that after Gadkari’s re-election Mungantiwar would also seek an extension however, the power equations in the state have changed in the event of Gadkari stepping down as the national president.
Though Munde has himself ruled out from the race he has made clear that his opinion will matter in selecting the new state president, ‘I am not in the race for the State party president’s post as already decided, I will lead the party in the State Assembly and I will be part of the process that will choose the nominee for the state chief’s post,’ said Munde.
The Munde camp is in favour of leader of opposition in the state assembly Eknath Khadse as the state chief and if his name does not find consensus they have also proposed the name of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.
The former BJP president is pushing his weight behind the current state president Sudhir Mungantiwar and is in favour of extending the tenure of Mungantiwar for one more term. Sources say that Mungantiwar as the party president can ensure that Gadkari’s clout in the state politics still remains. Earlier it was assumed that after Gadkari’s re-election Mungantiwar would also seek an extension however, the power equations in the state have changed in the event of Gadkari stepping down as the national president.
Though Munde has himself ruled out from the race he has made clear that his opinion will matter in selecting the new state president, ‘I am not in the race for the State party president’s post as already decided, I will lead the party in the State Assembly and I will be part of the process that will choose the nominee for the state chief’s post,’ said Munde.
The Munde camp is in favour of leader of opposition in the state assembly Eknath Khadse as the state chief and if his name does not find consensus they have also proposed the name of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis.