BJP names members of poll mgmt committee

Mumbai: The Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Maharashtra unit on Tuesday declared the names of members on its election management committee along with their responsibilities. No major surprises were in store in the list, barring the inclusion of Pankaja Munde, who had been sidelined in the party earlier, while former MP Kirit Somaiya, who was assigned the task of communicating with the Election Commission, declined to join the panel or take up the role, saying he preferred to contribute as an ordinary party worker.
Former union minister Raosaheb Danve, the head of the committee, announced the names of members and their responsibilities at a press conference on Tuesday. The move is aimed at projecting a collective leadership ahead of the assembly polls, as per the advice of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Munde has been assigned the task of reaching out to various communities ahead of the polls – a significant step considering the ongoing row among Marathas and OBCs in the state over reservation. Former chief minister Ashok Chavan will oversee the party’s efforts to connect with farmers while former chairperson of the women’s commission, Vijaya Rahatkar, will reach out to women. Union minister Raksha Khadse will take the lead in connecting with the youth, while MLA and chairman of the Mumbai District Cooperative Bank, Pravin Darekar, will coordinate with the politically significant cooperative sector.
Senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar will handle the election manifesto while Ravindra Chavan will be in-charge of campaign mechanism. Former minister Bhai Girkar will reach out to Scheduled Castes while Vijay Gavit will coordinate efforts to woo tribal voters.
Somaiya, who was given the responsibility of communicating with the Election Commission, refused to take up the role.
“You have appointed me on the campaign committee as chief of coordination with the Election Commission. My name was declared without my permission. This is wrong and not acceptable to me,” Somaiya said in a letter addressed to Danve, a copy of which was sent to state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
In the letter, Somaiya recalled how he was insulted at the instance of Uddhav Thackeray ahead of 2019 elections when the two parties were together.
“During the joint press conference of Uddhav Thackeray and Amit Shah on February 18, 2019, I was asked to leave the venue as per Thackeray’s directions. Since then, for the past five and half years, I am doing BJP work as an ordinary member. I will continue the same and will not join the campaign committee. Please don’t give me such insulting treatment again,” he stated in the letter.
Party insiders said Somaiya was expecting a major role ahead of the polls and was unhappy with the responsibility of merely communicating with the EC.
Bawankule, however, defended the move of naming him on the committee, saying, “The party has given certain responsibilities. This has not been done after asking party workers whether they wanted it.”
Navi Mumbai-based leader Ganesh Naik, who has been unhappy with the party, has been included among special invitees to the committee.