BJP split over Purohit's appointment

MUMBAI: There is a wave of resentment in the city unit of the BJP over the alleged lack of transparency in the appointment of the new president. On Monday, senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu formally announced that MLA Raj Purohit had the majority and declared him as president in the place of Gopal Shetty whose term had ended. The other claimant to the post was corporator Ashish Shelar.Purohit had the backing of senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde and Shelar was backed by the party's national president Nitin Gadkari.
According to Shelar's supporters, he had an edge over Purohit but at the last moment, the latter was declared president. At present, the party is split into Marathi and non-Marathi factions. Senior BJP leaders were of the opinion that with Sena and the MNS wooing Marathi voters, it was necessary to have a leader who would be able to attract non-Marathi voters that constitute a majority in Mumbai. According to them, these non-Marathi votes will prove to be crucial in the 2012 polls to the BMC.
The Shelar camp is of the view that if their leader had become president, youths could have been wooed easily. Purohit is 55 years old. Shelar is only 37 and has established a rapport with both Marathi and non-Marathi voters. As a corporator from Bandra, he has also built bridges with the Catholic and Muslim communities over the years.
However, Purohit's supporters said he has proved his organisational mettle in the past and has the backing of the north Indian business community. "Non-Marathi voters were looking for a rallying point so that the aggressive campaign by Raj Thackeray's MNS could be diminished. Purohit fits the bill perfectly,'' a BJP MLA said. "Shelar can always try his luck next time,'' he added.
The Sena, which is an ally of the BJP, would have been happy to have a Marathi as the BJP chief.
The Allahabad HC verdict on the Ramjanambhoomi issue is also expected to be out within a few days and is likely to give a boost to the Ram temple campaign, which will benefit the saffron allies.