Mumbai: In a calculated and shrewd move to corner and isolate disgruntled leader Pankaja Munde, BJP leadership has fielded Ramesh Karad as the fourth candidate for the Legislative Council election at the last minute.
Karad is close to Munde and also a leader of Vanjari community to which Munde belongs. BJP leadership, especially Devendra Fadnavis, played this game very secretly and smartly. First, they announced four names- Praveen Datke, Ranjit Singh Mohite, Dr Ajit Gopchhade and Gopichand Padalkar.
They all filed nominations on Friday amid the presence of media. On Monday, Ramesh Karad filed his nomination in the presence of the leader of Opposition Praveen Darekar and Arvind Patil Nilangekar, brother of former minister Sambhaji Patil Nilangekar.
Everybody was thinking that he is a dummy candidate who after the screening of the application forms will withdraw for official candidates. But in a shock and surprise to Pankaja, BJP withdrew nomination of official candidate Dr Gopchhade and another dummy candidate Sandip Lele.
After the defeat in Assembly election, Pankaja warned party leadership of consequences. Keeping in mind possibility of her leaving the party or open revolt against the party, Devendra Fadnavis who is the almost final authority in state BJP affairs, chalked out a well-thought strategy.
The strategy is instead of promoting Pankaja, her close aides will be promoted in BJP now. Thus, at one hand, she cannot criticise these nominations and on the other hand, BJP can check her possible revolt.
