According to a BJP leader, with the end of Munde’s rebellion, the uncertainty is over. Hence, it would not be difficult to make appointments.
With rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gopinath Munde deciding to stay put in the party, the party’s city unit is expected to speed up its political activities in view of the ensuing elections to the Pune municipal corporation (PMC) early next year.
According to the party sources, newly appointed city president, Vikas Mathkari, would soon form a team by appointing office bearers. It was Mathkari’s appointment that had sparked a rebellion by Munde to save the interests of his faction.
Munde was pushing for the appointment of former city general secretary, Yogesh Gogawale, as the president of the city unit. The Munde faction had expected that Mathkari’s appointment would be cancelled to placate Munde, just as the party had removed Madhu Chavan as president of the Mumbai unit after Munde protested against his appointment in 2008.
But the party leadership took a firm stand this time and refused to dump Mathkari. This change in political equations has strengthened Mathkari’s position and he would be able to assert himself more while working as the city president, said a source.
According to the sources, Mathkari had preferred not to appoint his new team as he and the other party leaders waited for the outcome of Munde’s rebellion. Had Munde decided to leave the party, some senior local leaders would have followed him. It would have been an embarrassment for the BJP and especially for Mathkari, if some of the office bearers would have followed Munde.
According to a BJP leader, with the end of Munde’s rebellion, the uncertainty is over. Hence, it would not be difficult to make appointments. “New office bearers would be appointed only on the basis of merit and loyalty to the party,” he said.
MLA Madhuri Misal; former minister of state, Dilip Kamble; BJP group leader in the PMC, Mukta Tilak; former city vice-president Sandip Khardekar; former city general secretary Yogesh Gogawale and corporators, Murlidhar Mohol and Sunita Chintal, had come out in the open to support Munde.
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