In a surprising political stride on Friday, Maharashtra's BJP strategically removed Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar from their ace promoter lineup. The refinement in BJP’s list followed a directive from India's Election Commission (ECI) which categorically stated that political factions cannot enlist leaders from rival parties as their headline campaigners.
The BJP submitted an overhauled roster of 40 standout campaigners under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership to the ECI. Addressing Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, BJP National Secretary Arun Singh clarified, 'This roster is valid for the fourth and fifth phases of the forthcoming parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra, pending any further amendments within the stipulated timeframe.'
Sparked by a petition from Sharad Pawar’s NCP, the Election Commission was prompted to assess the economic implications of listing leaders from opposing political entities as marquee campaigners by the BJP and Shiv Sena (Shinde group). It was flagged as a potential contravention of Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act. Notably, the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) had also included names such as PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Devendra Fadnavis in their list of 40 star campaigners.
Prior to this event, BJP's initial list of 40 star campaigners featured Shinde, Pawar, and Ramdas Athawale. On April 5th, the ECI dispatched a letter stating, '... It has come to our notice that the list of star campaigners includes individuals who are leaders of other political parties. According to the Representation of the People Act Section 77 (1) explanation 1 and 2, you should nominate only those individuals as star campaigners who are members of your own party.'
It's noteworthy that in Maharashtra, the parties of Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, NCP and Shiv Sena respectively, are part of the BJP-led Grand Alliance, which is contesting against the United Progressive Alliance comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
