Chavan in BJP for ‘new innings’, lauds Modi

The senior leader, who is learnt to have tapped the possibility of becoming deputy chief minister, is all set to contest the Rajya Sabha election slated for February 27 as a BJP candidate. The induction of legislators close to him into the BJP has also been put on hold till the poll is over, said sources

Mumbai: Former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, who resigned from the primary membership of the Congress on Monday, joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, saying he was keen to contribute to the nation-building mission of prime minister Narendra Modi.

Mumbai, India - Feb. 13, 2024: Former Congress leader MLA Ashok Chavan joins BJP in the presence of Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and other BJP party leaders at BJP office, Nariman point , in Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The senior leader, who is learnt to have tapped the possibility of becoming deputy chief minister, is all set to contest the Rajya Sabha election slated for February 27 as a BJP candidate. The induction of legislators close to him into the BJP has also been put on hold till the poll is over, said sources.

Chavan, 65, joined the BJP in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and chief of the party’s state unit Chandrashekhar Bawankule, among others. Addressing the media after his induction, he said he was starting a new innings after 38 years in the Congress.

“It was not an easy decision for me to snap the 38-year-old association (with the Congress). It was a decision taken after a long deliberation,” he told reporters.

Refraining away from criticising the Congress leadership, he said, “The culture of Maharashtra has been different, and we do not criticise our opponent for the sake of it. I would not indulge in criticism against anybody. Quitting the party was my individual decision. I worked for the Congress till the last minute I was in the party. I will continue to do so in the BJP too.”

The son of Congress veteran Shankarrao Chavan said that he was inspired by prime minister Narendra Modi’s quest for development. “I wanted to contribute to nation building. It will help us in the development of the state, the nation and my own district. I am sure that the BJP will achieve victory in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

Chavan, who had to resign as chief minister in November 2010 following accusations of misusing his office to help his kin get flats under the Adarsh housing scheme, said, “It was a political accident for which I have suffered a lot. The (Bombay) high court has ruled in our favour and the due legal process will take place.”

BJP insiders said Chavan initially tapped the possibility of becoming deputy chief minister, but the party leadership was opposed to having another deputy chief minister (in addition to Ajit Pawar) from Congress-NCP background, against whom they had campaigned vigorously in last ten years. With chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief ministers Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar already assuming key positions, it would also have created a fourth power centre in the state.

The party top brass is also undecided about fielding Chavan for the Nanded Lok Sabha seat which he had won in 2014, or continuing with the incumbent BJP MP Pratap Chikhlikar, who had defeated Chavan in the 2019 poll.

Instead, the BJP leadership is keen to send Chavan to the Rajya Sabha, and he is likely to get a ministerial berth in the union government after the election, said sources. Other BJP leaders from Maharastra whose names are in the fray for the Rajya Sabha poll include BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde, former minister Harshavardhan Patil, former women commission chief Vijaya Rahatkar and former state minister Pankaja Munde. Fadnavis said that a final decision about candidates for the Rajya Sabha poll would be taken by the central leadership of the party in consultation with state leaders.

Chavan’s close aide Amar Rajurkar also joined the BJP on Tuesday, but other Congress MLAs who are close to Chavan and are ready to join the BJP have been asked to wait as the ruling alliance is keen to utilise their votes in the ensuing Rajya Sabha poll.

“There are more than 12 MLAs who may quit the Congress, including three sitting MLAs from Nanded district. If they resign, the count of MLAs would drop resulting in a decline in the quota for votes. It would benefit the Congress and ensure the victory of its candidate,” said a senior BJP leader. The disgruntled MLAs will be asked to cross vote during the Rajya Sabha poll, he added. Chavan’s elder daughter Shreejaya is also likely to replace him as the BJP’s assembly candidate from the Bhokar constituency in Nanded district in the ensuing assembly poll, said sources.

Meanwhile, Fadnavis said that the BJP had not set any target for poaching MLAs from other parties; instead, many MLAs were in queue to join the party. “It is true that there are many leaders from other parties who want to join the BJP and we are in talks with leaders who have some standing at the local level. Chavan saaheb is a tall leader and a national figure and joined us unconditionally. Like him, many other leaders from other parties want to join us for mainstream politics,” he said.