Mumbai, July 1: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ close confidant and former minister Ravindra Chavan was on Tuesday elected unopposed as the president of the Maharashtra BJP unit.

Chavan, who is the state BJP working president, was the sole nominee who had filed his nominations. The announcement was made by the Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at the party’s executive council meeting in the presence of the Chief Minister, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and other leaders.

Chavan succeeds the incumbent Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who held the post for three years, and during his tenure BJP emerged as the single largest party in the state Assembly elections held last year.

Chief Minister Fadnavis, who was present yesterday when Ravindra Chavan filed his nominations, said, Ravindra Chavan, who started his political journey as an ordinary worker of the Yuva Morcha, will fulfil the responsibility of the state president with strength as he has a vast experience in the organisational work.

Chavan’s appointment as the state BJP chief comes ahead of the upcoming local and civic body elections in the state. BJP has proposed to contest these polls with allies Shiv Sena and NCP as MahaYuti in order to continue the victory march after the stellar performance of the grand alliance in the state assembly elections.

Moreover, Chavan takes over his new responsibility when the BJP has announced its resolve to unfurl the saffron flag atop the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, defeating the Shiv Sena UBT, which ruled the civic body for almost 25 years.

Ravindra Chavan has been an active BJP leader for the past several years. First, in 2007, he was elected as a corporator in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation. Later, in 2009, he contested the assembly elections and became an MLA.

In 2014, he won the election for the second time, and when he was an MLA, the BJP gained dominance in Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira Bhayandar, Ulhasnagar, Thane, and Panvel Municipal Corporations.

Ravindra Chavan became an MLA for the third time in 2019 and was given a ministerial berth in 2021. He was the Minister of the Public Works Department.

He also worked as the Guardian Minister of Sindhudurg and Palghar. He was again elected in the 2024 Assembly elections. He was not inducted into the ministry led by Fadnavis but was made state working president. (IANS)

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