Ravi Raja, erstwhile senior leader of the Congress, has been appointed vice-president of the Mumbai BJP. He joined the BJP on Thursday in the presence of deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar and a large number of cadres. The FPJ was the first to report about Raja's move.
Raja, a five-time corporator, has a substantial base in Sion-Koliwada assembly constituency and his defection is certain to weaken the Congress in this segment. Raja was upset that despite being a veteran corporator and leader of the opposition in the BMC, the Congress overlooked his claim to ticket to contest the upcoming assembly elections and gave it to a junior member Ganesh Yadav, who was defeated by the BJP's Capt Tamil Selvan in the 2019 assembly polls by over 14,000 votes. Raja said he would enthusiastically campaign for Capt Selvan and ensure his re-election.
Speaking to reporters after his appointment, he said in all his years of being in Congress, the party never "utilised" his knowledge and capabilities. "I will try to fulfill all my responsibilities. One thing I would like to say that all over Maharashtra no one thinks that MVA will come into power after these elections," he said.
In a social media post, he said "Since 1980 as a Youth Congress Member, I have served the party with utmost sincerity and dedication and today I am made to believe that my 44 years of service for the Congress is not respected and hence I take this decision of resigning....... ."
Ashish Shelar announced the new post given to Ravi Raja earlier today, welcoming the former Congress leader into the party's fold with garlands and fanfare. Fadnavis said that Raja joining the BJP would strengthen the party in Maharashtra.
"Today Congress leader Ravi Raja has joined BJP. He is one of the strongest leaders and we believe that his joining in BJP will strengthen us. In Maharashtra, there is a positive environment in favour of Mahayuti," Fadnavis said.
Raja's joining is a significant gain for the BJP in Mumbai ahead of the assembly elections in the state.
The Assembly elections for the 288 Maharashtra Assembly are going to happen in a single phase on November 20, with the counting of votes to happen on November 23
