The internal crisis within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the denial of election tickets escalated dramatically in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Wednesday. Angry party workers targeted senior leaders, splashing black paint on the cars of minister Atul Save and Rajya Sabha MP Karad while they were seated inside. This act of defiance marked a significant intensification of protests that have exposed deep fissures within the party's local unit.
Protests Escalate: From Blockades to Vandalism
The volatile situation unfolded outside the BJP's campaign office, a day after disgruntled aspirants had initially blocked the vehicles of Save and Karad. The protests took a more aggressive turn with the black paint incident. Simultaneously, sloganeering continued, and two women aspirants, Divya Marathe and Arti Patil, persisted with an indefinite hunger strike they began on Tuesday.
In a concerning development, a party worker attempting to mediate was allegedly assaulted. Raju Khajekar, whose wife Chhaya Khajekar is the BJP's city general secretary, stepped in to calm the chaos. Despite having no direct link to the ticket dispute, he was reportedly slapped by angry women protesters during the commotion. Heavy police deployment was necessary to prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control.
Mediation and Allegations of Favouritism
BJP MLC Sanjay Kenekar, along with former district president Shirish Boralkar, managed to persuade Marathe and Patil to end their hunger strike. Kenekar later stated, "They have withdrawn their hunger strike and the issue is over for us. We will request the party leadership to rehabilitate and compensate them with appropriate posts." He, however, declined to comment on the vandalism of the leaders' cars.
The core of the protesters' anger revolves around allegations of unfair ticket distribution. Protesters accused the leadership of sidelining dedicated, long-serving workers. Specific allegations were hurled at Minister Atul Save, with claims that he secured a ticket for his personal assistant. Similarly, MP Karad was accused of favouring candidates from his own community and ignoring internal survey reports.
Prashant Bhadane Patil, one of the aspirants, displayed what he claimed were internal survey documents proving his lead. He alleged, "I was assured of a ticket till Tuesday afternoon. By evening, it was handed to the personal assistant of a senior politician." He further alleged caste-based favouritism and demanded that the survey reports be made public and sent to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, issuing a warning about his safety.
Fallout and Questions of Discipline
The series of events has triggered serious discussions within political circles about an apparent collapse of party discipline. The public airing of grievances and the physical targeting of senior leaders' property signify a rare open revolt. The incident underscores the challenges parties face in managing aspirations and perceptions of fairness during ticket distribution, especially in high-stakes elections.
While the immediate hunger strike has been resolved, the underlying discontent and the serious allegations of nepotism and caste bias remain unaddressed. The party leadership now faces the dual task of containing the rebellion and addressing the systemic issues raised by its own workers to prevent further damage to its campaign cohesion in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
