CM to campaign for Mahayuti candidates in western Maha

Chief minister on Wednesday will campaign for BJP-Mahayuti candidates contesting the Pune division’s graduates and teachers’ constituencies of MLC

PUNE: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday will campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party/BJP-Mahayuti candidates contesting the Pune division’s graduates and teachers’ constituencies of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) as the alliance steps up its outreach across western Maharashtra ahead of the October 23 elections.

BJP Maharashtra chief Ravindra Chavan with party nominees Kaustubh Gawade and Smita Jadhav. Chief minister on Wednesday will campaign for BJP-Mahayuti candidates contesting the Pune division’s graduates and teachers’ constituencies of MLC. (HT)

Meanwhile, Kaustubh Gawade, the Mahayuti candidate for the teachers’ constituency, has promised to push for concrete policy decisions and a separate administrative mechanism to reduce teachers’ non-teaching workload, arguing that their time should be spent educating students rather than completing paperwork. “Teachers’ valuable time should be used for students’ educational progress instead of being spent on unnecessary paperwork and repetitive administrative tasks,” Gawade said.

Citing international practices, Gawade called for a dedicated mechanism in Maharashtra to study teachers’ workload and recommend measures to reduce it, on the lines of England’s teacher workload reduction taskforce. He also advocated providing schools with dedicated administrative staff and support systems, drawing inspiration from Singapore’s school administrative assistance model.

According to the OECD’s teaching and learning international survey (TALIS) 2024, an average of 52% of teachers across participating education systems identified administrative work as a source of work-related stress; he said. Gawade said that the issue requires more than assurances, calling for a clear policy, administrative accountability and time-bound implementation. He said he would press for a separate government resolution (GR) on reducing non-teaching duties and effective implementation of measures to benefit teachers across the state.

Dr Smita Yogesh Jadhav is the BJP-Mahayuti candidate for the graduates’ constituency, while Gawade is contesting the teachers’ constituency.

With Fadnavis scheduled to campaign for both candidates, the party has intensified its organisational preparations across Pune city, Pune rural, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts. BJP state president Ravindra Chavan, minister Chandrakant Patil and state general secretary Rajesh Pande have held core committee meetings to review election preparedness.

The party has also appointed constituency in-charges in parts of western Maharashtra, focusing on voter registration, outreach to teachers and graduates, local issues and coordination at the assembly constituency level.

Chavan said, “Party workers and office-bearers are being asked to effectively communicate to teachers and graduate voters the Mahayuti government’s commitment to taking Maharashtra’s education sector to greater heights through various schemes and initiatives.”

Fadnavis had earlier expressed confidence in Jadhav’s prospects, saying he was certain that voters would elect her, while also referring to Gawade’s work in the education sector. The election for the Pune graduates and teachers’ constituencies will be held on October 23.