As the clock keeps ticking relentlessly towards the Maharashtra Assembly election on November 20, tensions simmering within the BJP ranks in eastern Vidarbha do not augur well for the ruling party.
Recent remarks by senior minister and six-term MLA , underscore the party’s internal strife regarding the candidacy of ‘outsider’ Kishor Jorgewar for the Chandrapur Assembly segment. While Mungantiwar’s public dissent against Jorgewar’s potential nomination seemingly reflects a broader unease within the party’s grassroots cadre, it highlighting the saffron party’s challenges of balancing electoral strategy with the loyalty of its dyed-in-wool cadre.
It also reflects a paradox: the BJP, in the name of ‘winnability’ is willing to embrace anyone (the induction of Ajit Pawar’s NCP being the most potent instance of this strategy) causing leaders like Mungantiwar, opposed tooth and nail to Jorgewar’s entry, now forced to welcome him out of ‘pragmatism.’
Kishor Jorgewar’s induction into the BJP was finalized after intense negotiations in Mumbai and Delhi over the past four days. Mungantiwar, who reportedly baulked before the BJP top brass in Delhi including Amit Shah, later did a volte face, saying he was changing his stance for the party’s benefit.
At Delhi, Mungantiwar had addressed the local BJP’s concerns about Jorgewar’s potential candidacy while suggesting that a dedicated BJP loyalist like Brajbhushan Pazare, should be nominated instead for Chandrapur. Ultimately, the BJP chose to back Jorgewar, while reportedly appeasing Mungantiwar’s confidante, Devrao Bhongle, with a ticket for the Rajura constituency.
Jorgewar, the incumbent MLA of the Chandrapur constituency, has long been the bete noire of Mungantiwar, the current legislator of adjacent Ballarpur.
The political dynamics of Chandrapur have been reflective of the shifts in the eastern Vidarbha region. Dominated by Congress from 1960 to 1990, the BJP started gaining ground there in the 1990s, with Mungantiwar holding the Chandrapur seat from 1995 until the 2008 delimitation reclassified the constituency as reserved for Scheduled Castes. While Mungantiwar shifted to Ballarpur, the seat was still retained by the BJP in the form of ex-MLA Nana Shamkule, who won both the 2009 and 2014 Assembly contests. However, BJP’s hold on Chandrapur was broken in 2019, when Jorgewar, fighting as an independent candidate, unseated Shamkule.
Despite internal opposition, some BJP leaders see Jorgewar’s candidacy as advantageous, and the central leadership, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, is open to importing candidates based on merit. The Maharashtra Assembly polls have become crucial for the BJP’s state and central leadership after the party’s dismal performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Yet, the question lingers whether importing candidates will enhance the BJP’s electoral fortunes, or will it sow discord among party loyalists?
The implications of this dilemma extend beyond Chandrapur. Discontent is surfacing in other constituencies in eastern Vidarbha like Katol, where local leaders express dissatisfaction over potential nominations that threaten their standing. Ashish Deshmukh’s apprehensions regarding the candidacy of Charan Thakur highlight a growing concern that the central command’s decisions could further fracture local support.
The BJP’s underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha elections certainly has intensified the urgency to fortify its ranks, particularly in strategically vital regions like Vidarbha. This sentiment is echoed in private conversations among BJP leaders, where the prospect of inducting turncoat candidates is seen as a ‘necessary evil’ only in exceptional circumstances.
And yet, the pursuit of ‘outsiders’ like Jorgewar reflects a desperate strategy in the face of electoral vulnerability. The need to balance meritocracy with grassroots loyalty has never been more urgent for the BJP.
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