PUNE, February 2: Like Anna Joshi, the State BJP leadership is unlikely to take any serious cognizance of the candidature of bureaucrat-turned-social worker Avinash Dharmadhikari. According to well-placed BJP sources, the party had decided to neglect Dharmadhikari, even though he has strong Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) links.The BJP leaders are irked by the fact that Dharmadhikari, who had sought a party ticket in the last Lok Sabha election from Pune, has associated himself with social worker Anna Hazare. "How does Dharmadhikari expect us to support him when Hazare has made several serious accusations against the alliance government?" asked a BJP leader. In fact, there is a feeling among BJP circles that Dharmadhikari was the real brain behind the accusations made against the government.
Even though the BJP has decided to neglect Dharmadhikari, his presence in the fray is all set to send ripples among the local BJP and RSS circles as his father-in-law Anantrao Gogate is the "karyawah" of the Puneunit of RSS. Gogate was one of the RSS leaders who was pressing for Dharmadhikari's candidature last time. The local BJP leaders heaved a sigh of relief following successful intervention by Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde. The BJP leaders admitted that Anna Joshi's candidature may have proved a major hurdle in the victory of Suresh Kalmadi since he (Anna Joshi) had emerged from the grass roots. The sources, however, firmly denied that Anna Joshi had not been given any assurance about his political rehabilitation.In a press statement issued here today, Anna Joshi has said he had withdrawn his resignation following satisfactory discussion with Gopinath Munde. "A determined party, instead of a determined person, can effectively stop the culture, represented by Kalmadi. Meanwhile, the first joint meeting of the newly launched Pune Vikas Aghadi, BJP and Shiv Sena was held to chalk out election strategies. Kalmadi is expected to file his nomination on February 3.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
