Mumbai, Jan 1 (IANS) With the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections witnessing a surge in “internal dissent” within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has personally taken charge to suppress the rebellion.

Over the last two days, the Chief Minister has initiated a strategic outreach to pacify disgruntled candidates and party workers across various cities, recognising that “internal rebellion” could derail the party’s prospects in major corporations.

As the number of rebels continues to rise in several key municipalities, CM Fadnavis has reportedly reached out to prominent local leaders via telephone, instructing them to contain the internal strife.

CM Fadnavis has been provided with a detailed list of specific rebels whose candidacies could significantly damage the party’s electoral prospects.

The Chief Minister has not only taken the initiative to quell rebellion, but has also assigned senior ministers, including Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Chandrakant Patil, Girish Mahajan and state BJP President Ravindra Chavan to hold talks with rebels and convince them to follow the party line.

To ensure the party’s official candidates face minimal interference, the Chief Minister has assigned specific responsibilities to these leaders, who have been tasked with monitoring cities where the rebellion is most acute.

BJP sources indicate that the Chief Minister also held direct conversations with several “powerful” rebel candidates to understand their grievances and persuade them to withdraw their opposition.

The move comes at a time when “loyalist” party workers have expressed open resentment.

Incidents of unrest have been reported across the state, including an attempt to blacken the vehicle of Minister Atul Save and the heckling of senior leader Bhagwat Karad in Sambhajinagar.

In Nashik, several aspirants targeted Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan for “neglecting” loyalists during ticket distribution.

In some instances, party office-bearers have even faced physical altercations during local meetings. In areas like Mira Road, former BJP corporators have gone to the extent of formulating independent panels to challenge official party nominees, complicating the path to the BJP’s majority.

“The Chief Minister’s intervention as an effort to turn the “Bandoba” (rebels) into “Thandoba” (those who have cooled down/pacified). By leveraging personal diplomacy and delegating crisis management to regional heavyweights, the Chief Minister and the party leadership aim to present a united front before the polling begins,” said BJP sources.

Meanwhile, the BJP has successfully managed to pacify key rebels in Mumbai, where the party is contesting 137 seats, leaving 90 seats for its ally Shiv Sena.

In a significant breakthrough, Mumbai BJP President Amit Satam has convinced rebel candidate Sandeep Jadhav to withdraw his independent nomination from Goregaon.

Sandeep Jadhav, the General Secretary of the BJP’s local unit, had filed his nomination as an independent candidate from Ward No. 54 in the Goregaon Assembly constituency.

Despite Jadhav’s name appearing favourably in internal party surveys, the BJP leadership opted to field Viplav Awasare instead. Nettled by the snub, Jadhav had resigned from the party to contest independently, posing a serious threat to the BJP’s official candidate.

However, following a late-night meeting on Wednesday, Amit Satam successfully mediated the dispute. Satam reportedly assured Jadhav of a significant position within the Mumbai BJP Executive Committee and promised that his dignity within the party would be upheld.

“To hoist the saffron flag over Mumbai, we must work under ‘Devabhau’s’ (Devendra Fadnavis) leadership for the sake of the city and the nation,” Satam told Jadhav.

Following this assurance, Jadhav agreed to withdraw his nomination and has pledged to campaign for the official candidate, Viplav Awasare.

The resolution in Goregaon is part of a larger, state-wide “cleanup operation” led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

As the deadline for withdrawing applications looms, the BJP leadership is working around the clock to ensure that the “rebel factor” does not split the party’s vote bank, particularly in the high-stakes battle for Mumbai.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)

–IANS

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