RSS imprint on BJP’s Maha plan: Nitin Gadkari most visible face

After Haryana, the imprint of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was clearly visible in the BJP’s Maharashtra election strategy where Union Minister Nitin Gadkari emerged the party’s most visible face.

Suddenly coming in from the cold, Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister and former BJP chief, addressed 72 rallies and public meetings, the highest for any saffron party leader in Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 11 meetings, strategically planned to prevent over-exposure in a tough battlefield replete with X factors (new alliances Mahayuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi had) this time. Gadkari, a seasoned administrator and the RSS’ favourite, was however, generously deployed across Maharashtra’s regions with BJP’s state poster boy and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis following him closely at 64 rallies.

“Nitin Gadkari’s active presence in the Maharashtra elections is a significant development. In the past, his deployment was a formality but this time he campaigned all over Maharashtra with heavy demand for his rallies,” a senior BJP leader said, adding that Gadkari’s resurgence in Maharashtra political scene was a sign that the RSS was in the driver’s seat in the BJP’s post-ticket selection scenario.

In the past three Lok Sabha elections, Gadkari was sparingly used for about two or three rallies but this time it was a contrast. “It is the party that schedules rallies and decides venues for leaders. Even though Nitin Gadkari is always in the star campaigner list of the BJP, he was barely used in past three Maharashtra elections. This time, candidates wanted a leader who focused on development, inclusion and growth and whose rhetoric did not disturb classes or communities. That explains Gadkari’s presence. He also campaigned for NDA allies,” a BJP source added, referring to the high difficulty levels of the Wednesday Maharashtra Assembly election where it remains unclear if votes will seamlessly transfer between allies BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP on the Mahayuti side and Congress, Shiv Sena(UBT) and NCP(SP) on the MVA front.

It is the toughness of this election which brought RSS out in the BJP’s favour like never before, sources said, adding that this was the first time since Emergency days that the Sangh had so openly campaigned for the BJP.

“The Sangh worked through an NGO Lok Jagran Manch in Maharashtra. They printed posters, distributed pamphlets and campaigned door to door. On election day tomorrow, Sangh cadres will execute their final mission of mobilising pro-BJP voters and fence sitters as they did in Haryana,” said a BJP leader.

The RSS also worked behind the scenes in the state to ensure Gadkari addressed rallies in politically fragile Marathwada region where anti-BJP sentiment is high due to the Maratha quota agitation.