Mahadev Jankar to BJP: ‘Give us 14 seats, let us contest on RSP’s symbol’

RSP has already demanded 57 seats for the forthcoming Assembly elections from BJP, but the latter’s offer is expected to not exceed single digits.

Dhangar (shepherd) community leader and minister in the Devendra Fadnavis government, Mahadev Jankar on Sunday demanded that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) allot at least 14 seats for his party Rashtriya Samaj Paksha (RSP) in the state Assembly election — an increase of eight seats from last time. At a rally in Shivaji Park, Jankar demanded BJP accept the RSP’s demand to contest on its party symbol, and said he would be contesting under the same.

Mahadev Jankar said the BJP should give RSP seats befitting its “status” (HT FILE)

The RSP has already demanded 57 seats for the forthcoming Assembly elections from BJP, but the latter’s offer is expected to not exceed single digits. The BJP allotted six seats to RSP in 2014. Jankar, who is minister of animal husbandry, dairy development and fisheries, held the rally to showcase the strength of the Dhangar community and to put pressure on the BJP over RSP’s demands. BJP leader and minister of rural development, women and child development Pankaja Munde and BJP MLC Pravin Darekar were present at the rally.

Addressing the rally, Jankar said the BJP should give RSP seats befitting its “status”. “Last time, the party had two zilla parishad members and we were given six seats. Today, we have 98 people who have got elected from my party (in various elections). Our demand is that we should be given seats as per our status,” Jankar said.

Adding that the BJP must agree to RSP’s demand to let its candidates contest on the party symbol, Jankar said, “I am going to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections on my party symbol; BJP has to agree to it. Pankaja Tai, you are a BJP leader, you must help fulfill our demands,” he said.

The Dhangar community is believed to be upset over its unfulfilled demand to be included in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, which gets 7% reservation. The community currently comes under the Nomadic Tribes (NT) category and is entitled to get 3.5% reservation being provided by the state government. However, the Fadnavis-led government has maintained that only the Central government can bring in the amendments necessary to include the community in the ST category.