BJP appoints Bawankule Maharashtra unit chief, Ashish Shelar head of Mumbai unit

The BJP on Friday appointed Chandrashekhar Bawankule as its Maharashtra unit president and Ashish Shelar as its Mumbai unit chief. Bawankule, an OBC by caste replaced Chandrakant Patil, a Maratha, as he became the Minister in the newly sworn cabinet of the Shinde-Fadnavis government.

Similarly Shelar, who is also a Maratha by caste replaced Mangal Prabhat Lodha as the Mumbai unit president.

Lodha also became minister in the recently sworn cabinet of the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.


Bawankule's appointment highlights the BJP's bid to consolidate backward community votes in the state as it gears up for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.