Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is set to play an important role for the BJP in the Bihar assembly elections, set to take place later this year.
Fadnavis, the BJP’s central core committee has decided, will play the role of party’s election in-charge in Bihar, along with BJP Bihar in-charge, Bhupendra Yadav.
“A formal announcement to this effect would be made shortly but the core committee has decided to entrust this responsibility to former Maharashtra CM,” said a senior party functionary of Bihar.
BJP sources said Fadnavis has been roped in by the party leadership for the poll preparedness and attended a Bihar core committee meeting through video-conferencing on Thursday. He is said to have presented his viewpoints on different matters.
The elections for the 243-member Bihar assembly will take place in October/ November.
Fadnavis being given the charge of Bihar elections is in line with the party’s policy of entrusting its key leaders with the responsibility of handling state elections. Late BJP leader Ananth Kumar was the party’s in-charge for the Bihar assembly polls in 2015.
The development also comes at a time when Bihar and Maharashtra governments have been trading charges over the handling of the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case by Mumbai Police.
Fadnavis faces a tough ask as two BJP’s allies JD (U) and the LJP are at loggerheads. The LJP has conveyed to the BJP leadership, the sources said, its uneasiness about the manner in which the issues raised by it have been dealt with.
Welcoming Fadnavis’ appointment, senior BJP leader Dr CP Thakur said that he is a capable leader “and manages elections very well.”
