Chavan (54) may be anointed as the next BJP President during the grand state-level convention in the temple town of Shirdi on January 12, 2025 coinciding with the birth anniversary of the legendary monk-philosopher, Swami Vivekananda.
Credit: X/@RaviDadaChavan
Mumbai: Former minister and four-time MLA Ravindra Chavan is likely to be the next Maharashtra BJP President.
Chavan (54) may be anointed as the next BJP President during the grand state-level convention in the temple town of Shirdi on January 12, 2025 coinciding with the birth anniversary of the legendary monk-philosopher, Swami Vivekananda.
Considered close to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chavan would take charge from incumbent Chandrashekar Bawankule, who has been made the state Revenue Minister.
When the Maha Yuti-NDA council-of-ministers was appointed, the name of Chavan, who is a four-time MLA from Dombivli in Thane district, did not figure.
An indication of Chavan’s elevation came on Saturday when Bawankule appointed him as in charge of organisational rebuilding initiative, Sanghatan Parv.
Chavan, a grass-roots worker, had been a minister in the Fadnavis-headed BJP-Shiv Sena government from 2014-19 and the previous Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti government.
Chavan had handled ministries like Public Works, Ports, Medical Education, Information and Technology, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection.
Chavan, who belongs to the Maratha community, is a good organiser, and his relationship cuts across party lines.
The Shirdi convention is the first major party event after the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha polls.
In the 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the Maha Yuti-NDA has 235 seats of the total strength of 288.
The BJP has got 132 seats, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena 57 and Ajit Pawar-led NCP 41.
Besides, six MLAs belonging to smaller parties and independents have supported the BJP.
The BJP and its allies had suffered badly in the Lok Sabha polls at the hands of the Maha Vikas Aghadi-I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc, however, within six months they managed to turn the tables.
The first major challenge before Chavan would be the municipal corporation elections expected to be held early next year.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent issues pending in the Supreme Court, the elections to 29 municipal corporations of Maharashtra - which is more than 60-65 per cent of the state’s 13 crore population -does not have an elected body.
This includes urban centres like Mumbai and eight other corporations of larger Mumbai metropolitan region -Thane, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayander, Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Panvel, and other civic bodies like Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Amravati -where elections are due.