Ex-NCP netas Chitra Wagh, Dhananjay Mahadik now BJP V-Ps

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) turncoats Dhananjay Mahadik and Chitra Wagh, both of whom joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) only recently, have been rewarded with plum posts in the saffron party.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Thursday appointed Mr Mahadik and Ms Wagh as vice presidents of the state unit.

By appointing Mr Mahadik and Ms Wagh to these posts in the party organisation, the BJP has shown that others who are waiting in the wing may also be rewarded according to their strength and utility, said a political source.

Mr Mahadik was NCP MP from Kolhapur. However, he lost the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Mandlik.

Ms Wagh, on the other hand, was heading the women’s wing of NCP in the state before switching loyalties. She was also the major women’s face of the party in the state.

Apart from Mr Mahadik and Ms Wagh, Shekhar Inamdar, a leader from Sangli, has also been appointed as a state vice president.

The party has also formed region-wise committees to create awareness among people regarding the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which gave special status to the contentious territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

A “Seva Saptaah” (service week) will be observed to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday later this month, and region-wise committees have been set up for this purpose, party officials said.

Ahead of Assembly polls in the state, several leaders of the NCP have joined the BJP, whereas many others are expected to switch over to the saffron party in the coming days.

Some of the important leaders who have quit the Sharad Pawar-led party include Satara MLA Shivendraraje Bhosale and Jayadutt Kshirsagar.