Mumbai: Factionalism and the bitter in-fighting in the local BJP unit seems to be a thing of the past as the entire local leadership worked as a united front during the assembly elections to successfully unseat sitting legislator-Geeta Jain (independent) by defeating her by a huge margin.
The BJP which single-handedly wrestled control over the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) in the 2017 polls was staring at a virtual split owing to the widening rift between district BJP chief- Ravi Vyas and former legislator-Narendra Mehta. The infighting intensified after Mehta vehemently opposed Vyas’s appointment as president of the local BJP unit in 2021.
On the other hand, independent legislator- Geeta Jain who had extended her support to BJP remained at loggerheads with Mehta creating further rifts in the party by wooing some of the former corporators to her side. Consequently, three separate factions were created posing a serious threat to the electoral fortunes of the party in the assembly elections.
However, after the intervention of senior leaders including state BJP chief- Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Vyas relented. He not only actively campaigned for Mehta but successfully reconciled some of the old guards who were upset after being side-lined. “The victory of Mehta stands testimony to the fact that the party stands united. Our next goal is to retain power in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation.” said Vyas. When contacted former deputy mayor-Hasmukh Gehlot said,
“Our party is like a family in which problems happen but are ultimately solved by our guardians. All of us are united and are dedicatedly working towards the planned development and enhancing civic amenities in the twin-city while further strengthening the party.” Notably, Maha Yuti candidate-Narendra Mehta (BJP) won from the Mira Bhayandar (145) assembly constituency with a thumping majority by defeating his MVA rival- Muzaffar Hussain (Congress) by a margin of 60,443 votes. Sitting legislator-Geeta Jain who entered the election arena as an independent contestant after being denied a BJP ticket faced an embarrassing defeat by garnering just 23,051 votes as she remained a distant third in the final tally.
