BJP Reshuffle Prioritises North Indian Voters Outreach For BMC Election
In a bid to strengthen its connection with North Indian voters ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday appointed Acharya Pawan Tripathi as its new General Secretary.
Mumbai: In a bid to strengthen its connection with North Indian voters ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Mumbai unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday appointed Acharya Pawan Tripathi as its new General Secretary. Mr. Tripathi, who also serves as the treasurer of the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust, is expected to play a key role in consolidating the party’s support among North Indian communities in Mumbai. Along with him, the party named Shweta Parulekar, Ganesh Khankar, and Rajesh Shirodkar as general secretaries of the city unit.
Mumbai BJP chief Amit Satam has carried out a major reshuffle in the party’s city unit, appointing four new general secretaries. The new appointees include three men and a woman, representing three different Lok Sabha segments of Mumbai. Party sources said the move is aimed at strengthening the party’s organisational structure and reaching out to a wider voter base ahead of the upcoming civic elections.
According to party sources, Pawan Tripathi has been promoted from vice president to general secretary of the Mumbai BJP. Observers note that Tripathi has strong connections with various sections of society, particularly the North Indian and Hindi-speaking communities.
A senior BJP leader said that there are around 24 lakh North Indian voters in Mumbai city and its suburbs. They are believed to influence nearly one-third of the 227 seats in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). “North Indian and Hindi-speaking voters could play a decisive role in about 72 BMC seats, where they make up 15 to 50 per cent of the electorate,” he said.
Rajesh Shirodkar and Shweta Parulkar hail from the Mumbai South Central parliamentary constituency, which is dominated by Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT). Ganesh Khankar represents the North Mumbai parliamentary constituency, while Pawan Tripathi is from the North West parliamentary constituency. Parulkar, who has previously worked in the BJP’s Mumbai media cell, has been entrusted with a new responsibility in recognition of her contributions.
According to sources, the party’s executive committee for Mumbai is expected to be announced ahead of the civic elections, which are likely to be held in the first week of January 2026. With an eye on the BMC mayoral post, the BJP has stepped up preparations and is focusing on uniting various communities by assigning key responsibilities.
The BJP has traditionally appointed at least one North Indian leader as general secretary of the Mumbai unit. Leaders such as MLA Sanjay Upadhyay, Amarjeet Mishra, and R. U. Singh have previously held the position.