Waqf Law sparks row in Bihar; BJP slams RJD, says 9th fail Tejashwi Yadav more important than SC
Delhi: BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia says, "We all know that this matter (petitions against Waqf Amendment Bill) is pending in the SC, which has reserved the order. Why does Tejashwi Yadav have such an anarchist approach and why is he demeaning the SC? When the SC has not even pronounced a verdict, how can he claim that this law is unconstitutional? Has 9th fail Tejashwi Yadav become more important than the SC?... Jungle Raj looks like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav..." Delhi: BJP National Spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia says, "... Tejashwi Yadav is now asking for 20 months, meanwhile the people of Bihar gave more than a decade to the Yadav family... The value of human life was lost... Tejashwi Yadav is now talking about youth, but they only think about their party. They still haven't been able to have a President from outside their family. They never gave a chance to anyone outside their family to become the CM... Now they're talking about youth?..."
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Business Standard
34 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Kejriwal to launch 'Gujarat Jodo' campaign during three-day state visit
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Business Standard
35 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Race for Bengal BJP chief intensifies; new president name likely this week
With less than a year to go for assembly elections, the BJP is all set to announce its new West Bengal president this week, amid intense lobbying, internal deliberations and factional negotiations within the saffron party's state unit. The party's returning officer and MLA, Deepak Barman, issued a notification confirming the schedule, sparking speculations over who will take over the reins of the state unit ahead of the assembly polls in April-May next year. Nomination for the Bengal BJP president's post will be accepted on Wednesday, followed by scrutiny and withdrawal on the same day. The final list of candidates will be released at 6 pm, according to the notification. "If more than one candidate remains in the fray, voting will take place on Thursday from 12 noon, and the results will be declared by 1.30 pm," a senior BJP functionary told PTI. However, several party leaders maintained that the process is mostly a formality and a consensus candidate chosen by the central leadership is likely to be named without a contest. A section within the party has pitched for a seasoned leader, and one name gaining currency is that of BJP Rajya Sabha MP and senior leader Samik Bhattacharya. His sudden and formal visit to BJP national president J P Nadda's residence in Delhi on Monday has added to the speculations. "There are reports that he was invited through official channels and held a meeting with Nadda in the presence of senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, who is overseeing the Bengal BJP president election process," a party insider told PTI. "It cannot be seen as a coincidence." Although Bhattacharya maintained his meeting with Nadda was to brief him about the recently concluded parliamentary delegation visit post-Operation Sindoor, sources hinted that his name may be the sole nomination submitted in a sealed envelope on Tuesday, indicating a possible consensus candidate. A state BJP leader confirmed that all saffron party members of the all-party parliamentary delegations, which took part in the global outreach exercise for Operation Sindoor, on Monday met the party president. Bhattacharya, who has been with the party since its early days in Bengal, is seen as a balanced and widely acceptable face. "He has remained largely above intra-party groups, is articulate, media-savvy, and has no visible opposition within the organisation," said an office bearer of the party. "With internal rifts between various powerful lobbies peaking, someone like Samik could be a unifying force," he said. According to top BJP sources, the name of incumbent state president Sukanta Majumdar is once again under active consideration, despite the party's 'one person, one post' policy. Majumdar is also the Union Minister of State for Education in the Narendra Modi-led government. There are strong arguments on both sides, said a senior BJP leader. "Some believe that Majumdar, having served since 2021, should make way for a fresh face. But, others fear that replacing him now, just eight months before the polls, may disrupt the already fragile organisational structure," he said. Majumdar, a professor of botany, took over from Dilip Ghosh in September 2021. He is a two-time MP from the Balurghat Lok Sabha seat. The sources said the final decision will likely be announced on July 3 during a formal "president felicitation" ceremony at the Science City Auditorium in Kolkata. Political observers remain divided on the possibility of Bhattacharya's appointment. While some see it as a safe and loyalist choice, others fear it could be a "bad move" for the party, citing concerns over his mass base. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari has reportedly backed BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul for the top state post, and has communicated this to the party's Delhi brass. However, most insiders believe that Paul and BJP MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, also in the race, remain outside the zone of serious consideration. "Samik da is leading the race now," a state party leader admitted, requesting anonymity. "He fits the requirement for a face that appeals to both the grassroots and the central leadership." Still, others in the party cite the example of Maharashtra, where a state president was changed less than three months before the polls, and yet led the party to success. "A well-accepted leader, even if newly appointed, can energise the base, if chosen wisely," the state party leader said. The BJP constitution allows Majumdar to serve a second tenure as president, having completed one full term since taking over in 2021. "But with ministerial responsibilities, it is increasingly difficult for him to do justice to both roles. And the party is clear about its 'one person, one post' guideline," another BJP leader said. As many as 415 state council members will vote if an election is required, though most leaders expect the process to be uncontested. "The final choice will reflect the central leadership's strategy for Bengal. The president will have to strike a balance between visibility, acceptability and discipline," a senior political observer said. Conspicuously missing from the discussion is former two-time state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh. Though some party members had pitched for his return, the central leadership and the RSS reportedly remain discontent with him, ruling out his reinstatement at this stage. While the leadership remains tight-lipped and no official confirmation has emerged, BJP circles are abuzz that the "real election is already over" and what remains is a procedural wrap-up.
The Print
37 minutes ago
- The Print
How new Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan, Fadnavis loyalist with RSS roots, could rattle Shinde Sena
A close confidant of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Ravindra Chavan is originally from Dombivali in the Thane district in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. His appointment as the BJP state chief comes ahead of the upcoming local body (MMR) polls, which all parties are seeing as quite significant. A day ago, he filed nominations at a function in the Mumbai state BJP office, where the central BJP observer cum Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were in attendance Monday. Mumbai: Mumbai: Four-term MLA from Dombivali Ravindra Chavan was elected unopposed to the post of BJP Maharashtra state president Tuesday. Chavan, the party's main Maratha face in Thane district, often gets credit for its expansion in Thane, a Shiv Sena stronghold. The MMR elections, including the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and Thane Municipal Corporation polls, are expected to happen by this yearend. In 2024 state polls, Ravindra Chavan won the Dombivali assembly constituency, which falls under the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency, with a vote margin of over 77,000, higher than that of the winners from the five remaining assembly seats within the Kalyan LS. 'His appointment is quite strategic because of the upcoming MMR polls. There are many corporations in this region, and with Chavan hailing from the district, a Shiv Sena stronghold, it is important for the BJP to keep the Sena in control and give its candidate the edge,' said political analyst Hemant Desai to ThePrint. 'Besides, Chavan is a Maratha, and since the party already had an OBC face in (ex-chief) Bawankule, it went back to a Maratha face again. Additionally, Chavan's organisational strength and grassroots connections in Konkan are strong. So, the BJP could secure a good chunk of urban voters with Chavan's appointment,' Desai added. The three-year tenure of the current state chief, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, will end this coming August. ThePrint contacted Ravindra Chavan for a comment, but he was unavailable at the time. The report will be updated once he responds. Also Read: Why Ajit Pawar returned to cooperative politics, making a routine sugar mill poll a high-stakes battle Who is Ravindra Chavan Ravindra Chavan has been a long-time member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. From Dombivali, an RSS stronghold, he has been politically active for the last 25 years. Fondly known as 'Ravi Dada', Ravindra Chavan was appointed president of the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha in the Kalyan sub-district in 2002. In 2005, he became a corporator of the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation and later the standing committee chairman in 2007. In 2009, during the carving out of the Dombivali constituency ahead of the assembly elections, Chavan won the new seat by 61,000 votes, at a time when Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) swept polls. Since then, he has been the MLA of Dombivali, with his current term the fourth as representative of the constituency. During this period, his closeness to Fadnavis grew. In his first term as chief minister, Fadnavis allowed Chavan to become a minister of state in 2016 during a cabinet reshuffle. He oversaw the municipal corporations in the MMR region while serving as guardian minister of the Raigad and Palghar districts in the Shiv Sena stronghold Konkan. It was during his stint as guardian minister that Ravindra Chavan worked hard to provide the BJP a solid foothold in the Konkan division. 'He has worked very hard in Konkan, and today, because of him only, the BJP is stronger in Konkan. You could see that in the last assembly results,' said a BJP leader to ThePrint. During the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP won 35 of the 39 seats it contested in the Konkan division. Ravindra Chavan's ascent continued when he took the position of BJP Maharashtra state general secretary in 2020. Chavan took charge of the Public Works Department (PWD) as minister during the previous Shinde-led government, while serving as the guardian minister again, but of the Palghar and Sindhudurg districts in Konkan this time. BJP functionaries, of late, have started calling him a Savarkar devotee. In May 2023, Ravindra Chavan was instrumental in helping inaugurate a bust of Veer Savarkar in Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius. 'In the last 11 years in Dombivali, he also made sure that Savarkar's ideology remains alive through a programme, 'Jyot', at Savarkar Udyan,' said a BJP functionary. Since January 2025, Chavan has also been the working chief of the Maharashtra BJP unit. Following his appointment last month as chief of All India Workers and Employees Union (AIWEU), Ravindra Chavan received felicitations at an event attended by 1,500 workers from various political affiliations and unions, including those affiliated with the BJP. At the function, Chavan said, 'I have worked at the grassroots as an ordinary BJP worker. From that experience, I learned that labour demands are simple, yet they often go unheard because leaders lack the will to solve them. But the BJP is different. Its ideology is rooted in reaching the last person in society.' 'Chavan is a strong and direct man. He does not normally mince his words, and he has a good backing of the RSS and Fadnavis, which will help keep both allies and opposition under control,' analyst Desai said. The first induction into the Congress party under the leadership of Ravindra Chavan was that of ex-MLA Kunal Patil. On Tuesday, Kunal, the son of the late Congress stalwart Rohidas Patil, switched to the BJP. Also Read: Shinde & Thackeray revive Shiv Sena's classic 'Marathi manus, sons of soil' pitch ahead of BMC polls Ravindra Chavan vs Shiv Sena Despite being from Thane and the BJP's alliance with the Shiv Sena, the tussle between Ravindra Chavan and the Shiv Sena leaders in the district is hard to ignore. Ahead of the 2022 Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) polls, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena exchanged barbs and flung mud at each other. The BJP improved its tally in KDMC but failed to do so in the Thane Municipal Corporation. Last year, though Chavan denied rifts with the Shiv Sena while speaking to ThePrint, he announced that the party had set its eyes on a BJP mayor in KDMC. Things went further south between the two allies in the Konkan over the Mumbai-Goa Highway. Last year, Ramdas Kadam, a Shiv Sena leader from the Eknath Shinde camp and hailing from the Konkan region as well, called Ravindra Chavan a 'useless minister' over the constant delays in the construction of the Mumbai-Goa highway. Blaming then-PWD minister Chavan for the delay, Kadam called out his incompetence, as well as the slow progress of the highway construction work. In a sharp retort, Ravindra Chavan then publicly called Kadam an 'illiterate man'. Kadam's remarks did not go down well with Fadnavis, who then spoke with Shinde, asking him to rein in Kadam. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Solo or together? The big question for Maharashtra alliances this BMC poll season
