BJP nominates Ramrao Wadkute to Rajya Sabha from Marathwada, sidelining Danve, Karad, Rahatkar and Pritam Munde

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: BJP nominated former MLA Ramrao Wadkute from Marathwada to the Rajya Sabha, sidelining prominent politicians such as former Union ministers Raosaheb Danve and Bhagwat Karad, women's commission chief Vijaya Rahatkar, and former MP Pritam Munde.The suspense over four Rajya Sabha seats from Maharashtra under BJP quota ended on Wednesday, with the party high command in Delhi finalising the names. As expected, Union minister Ramdas Athawale and senior politician Vinod Tawde were nominated, but the other two names came as a surprise.First-time BJP corporator from Nagpur and tribal leader Maya Ivnate was picked along with Wadkute, a Dhangar community politician from Parbhani and Hingoli. Wadkute, who joined BJP from the NCP five years ago, is a former MLA and has a strong base within the Dhangar community. The decision is seen as part of the party's larger social engineering strategy aimed at consolidating the OBC vote bank without over-relying on politically dominant OBC faces. Wadkute's elevation is viewed as a calibrated attempt by BJP's central and state leadership to strengthen its outreach among the Dhangar community and reinforce its OBC base.In Hingoli, BJP workers celebrated the announcement by gathering at Gandhi Chowk, distributing sweets, and bursting crackers. District president Gajanan Ghuge, Shashikant Wadkute, and several party workers were present as supporters hailed the leadership's decision.The names of former five-time MP from Jalna Raosaheb Danve, and National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar did the rounds but were not finalised. Party insiders said both were aware that their chances were slim.