Chandrakant Patil named new president of Maharashtra BJP

NPnews24 Online Mumbai: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil was appointed as the new State President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday. Patil has replaced Raosaheb Danve Patil.

Chandrakant Patil’s appointment in Maharashtra comes as the BJP is gearing up to retain power in the State in the forthcoming Assembly polls. He is a Maratha, the largest caste in the State.

He is credited for playing a key role in assuaging the community following its long protests demanding quota in government jobs and educational institutions.

Chandrakant Patil hails from western Maharashtra, a prosperous region of the state which was once a strong turf of the opposition. He also holds the PWD ministry in the State government.

The BJP also appointed OBC leader Swatantra Dev Singh as the president of Uttar Pradesh. Both leaders have a RSS background and are well-regarded in the party for their organisational ability.
Singh has replaced Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Both Pandey and Raosaheb Danve Patil were inducted as ministers in the Union Cabinet, necessitating a change of guard in the states. Singh is a minister in the UP government and Kurmi by caste, a numerically strong backward group in Uttar Pradesh.

Other Backward Classes (OBC) have consolidated behind the BJP in good numbers, playing a crucial role in its massive victory in the 2017 Assembly poll as well as the recent Lok Sabha election.

Both Singh and Chandrakant Patil are likely to resign as ministers to focus on their new assignments.
In a statement, the party also announced the appointment of Mangal Prabhat Lodha as its Mumbai unit chief, replacing Ashish Shelar, who was recently inducted in the BJP government in Maharashtra.

The BJP is also going to announce its new chiefs in states like Bihar as well. Its Bihar unit chief Nityanad Rai has also been inducted as a Union minister.

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