No freehand to Ganesh Naik as BJP appoints loyalist new Navi Mum chief

The Bharatiya Janata Party's appointment of Dr Rajesh Patil, a party loyalist, as its Navi Mumbai chief on Tuesday, ignoring minister Ganesh Naik's supporters, appears to be a clear message to him that he will not have a freehand in running its affairs in his stronghold, where civic elections will soon be held.

- G Mohiuddin Jeddy [e-mail]

NAVI MUMBAI:

The appointment of a close associate of Naik's arch rival and MLA Manda Mhatre, at a time when his son and former city president Sandeep remains expelled from the party, is being seen as the BJP maintaining the balance of power in a region where Naik earlier called the shots. Although the BJP made him a minister after the Mahayuti alliance retained power in last year's assembly elections, reportedly to counter the clout of deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde in the Thane district, Naik continues to be denied the power he wielded when he was with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Naik was shockingly denied a ticket from the Belapur constituency after joining the BJP in September 2019, with Mhatre being renominated. Sandeep then gave up his ticket to enable his father to contest from Airoli. However, the BJP did not make Naik a minister, despite him being one for 15 years prior to that.