At a time when there was speculation that the Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Sena (BVS), the Shiv Sena's student wing would be disbanded, the party has decided to revive it.
At a time when there was speculation that the Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Sena (BVS), the Shiv Sena's student wing would be disbanded, the party has decided to revive it.
The BVS, which was once headed by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, will now be overlooked by his nephew and Shiv Sena president Uddhav's son Aditya.
After being sidelined for over five years, the BVS will soon play an active part in taking on the Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJPs' student wing.
"The BVS will be revamped completely. We have adopted a bottom-up approach. The existing organization will not be dissolved. New office bearers will be appointed and all of them will be youngsters," said a senior Sena leader.
According to Sena leaders, the BVS will work in tandem with the Yuva Sena, which is headed by Aditya. Ever since the Yuva Sena was launched in 2010, the BVS has been sidelined. After Raj left the Sena to form his own MNS; the Sena had appointed Abhijit Panse as its head.
Soon, Panse was transferred to the Bhartiya Chitrapat Sena as president. He eventually quit the Sena and joined the MNS in 2014. The BVS has been headless since.
"There will be no president. Adityaji will look after the BVS's affairs and there will be a core team. Though there will be an age limit of around 30 years, existing office bearers will continue," the leader added.
BVS, which was Sena's recruitment agency for roping in young blood, had become dormant after the formation of Yuva Sena. The Sena is hoping that the revival of the BVS will help it connect with youngsters and increase its cadre strength. "The BVS and Yuva Sena will work together. Both will be independent but we will ensure there is co-ordination between the two," a Yuva Sena functionary said.
Some leaders pointed out that Aditya would not head the BVS formally to avoid any comparison between him and uncle Raj. In 2010, the Yuva Sena successfully contested the university senate elections.
"We have the senate elections, followed by the BMC polls. We did not want to disband such a strong organisation so we decided to revive it. BVS will take on the ABVP in the senate polls. However, it won't be an organisation to adjust people. We will promote genuine and loyal workers," another Sena leader said.
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