Pimpri-Chinchwad: Bharatiya Janata Party's Yuva Morcha Maharashtra State President Anup Shailaja Avinash More resigned from his post as state president on Thursday. This move comes after recent controversies in which his name is involved regarding the alleged physical assault and criminal intimidation of BJP Mahila Morcha secretary Tejaswini Kadam. In this case, a total of eight people have been booked by the Chinchwad Police Station on the complaint of Kadam.
What's The Matter?
On Sunday, Tejaswini Kadam visited the home of a person who is a mutual acquaintance of hers and More. After she did the visit and was leaving her home, several people, claiming to be members of BJP Yuva Morcha, the party's youth wing, allegedly intercepted her and questioned why she was there. They allegedly threatened her, saying, “Our Anup Dada comes here, and you know it. He has asked us to kill you. We will kill you. We know you live alone.”
Tejaswini Kadam then went to Chinchwad Police Station, where she was allegedly beaten by two women workers of BJP Yuva Morcha and was also gheraoed by a mob of over 100 people outside the station. Tejaswini Kadam has herself mentioned all this in her complaint filed with Chinchwad Police. She had named eight people, but police initially registered a case against seven people only, conveniently leaving More's name out of it. But after more pressure from Kadam, Anup More's name was added to the FIR as the eighth accused. Police said that this happened due to an ‘oversight’.
All the accused involved are booked under the BNS sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 74 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 189 (unlawful assembly), 190 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 351 (criminal intimidation).
Kadam also alleged that there was a romantic relationship between her and More, and a breakup of this made More act like this. Speaking about this, More denied the allegations, saying that this is an attempt at tarnishing his image and sabotaging his political career.
Who Is Anup More?
Anup More is a 43-year-old politician who is currently based in the Nigdi Pradhikaran area of Pimpri-Chinchwad. Before joining politics, More was a socially active activist. His family also has roots with the BJP, as More himself has revealed that the family has been connected to the party for the last 40 years. His mother, Shailaja More, is a BJP leader herself and has served as a deputy mayor of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). His father, Avinash More, has also been affiliated with the party for years.
In 2020, Anup More earned recognition from the city residents as he was involved in works related to community relief along with his mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being an alumnus of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), More worked in the IT sector before. However, due to the family's involvement in politics, he was also interested in politics from the beginning.
Before becoming the State President for BJP Yuva Morch in 2024, More served as its General Secretary for years. More has also served as a Mathadi worker in the city, working for the betterment of Mathadi workers over the years.
Opposition's Criticism & Resignation From The State President Post
After the incident was widely reported on Tuesday, Nationalist Congress Party - Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP) MP from Baramati, Supriya Sule, said on X (formerly Twitter), “An incident has come to light in the Pimpri-Chinchwad area where a woman was assaulted inside a police station by supporters of a leader belonging to the ruling political party. This incident is a clear example of how the police handle crimes related to leaders of the ruling party and how it treats women. If even the women within the ruling party are not safe in this state and have to struggle to get justice, it clearly indicates that the law and order situation in the state is extremely serious.”
Meanwhile, NCP-SP MLA from Karjat, Jamkhed Rohit Pawar, said in Pune on Thursday, “The incident that has happened is shocking. If all this happens in a police station itself, it's a matter of great concern regarding law and order in the state. If a woman office bearer from the ruling party is not safe, god knows what will happen to the poor and normal women of the state.”
After backlash from all circles, on Thursday, Anup More submitted his resignation to the party high command. In his resignation, More said, “For the past few days, fake allegations have been made against me. Due to me, the party's image might be ruined. My family and I will always be with the BJP. However, due to the possibility of the party's image being ruined due to me, I am resigning from the post of Yuva Morcha Maharashtra State President. In the future, I will work with the mindset of nation first, then party, and then myself."
