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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Bihar’s huge gain, Maharashtra’s pause

Shadow cast over the national trajectories of several heavyweights including Fadnavis Mumbai: The sudden appointment of Nitin Nabin as the BJP’s national Working National President on December 14, 2025, has done more than just fill a leadership vacuum; it has recalibrated the internal power dynamics of the ruling party. While the 45-year-old Bihar minister’s elevation is being hailed as a masterstroke in generational transition, it has simultaneously cast a shadow over the national...

Bihar’s huge gain, Maharashtra’s pause

Shadow cast over the national trajectories of several heavyweights including Fadnavis Mumbai: The sudden appointment of Nitin Nabin as the BJP’s national Working National President on December 14, 2025, has done more than just fill a leadership vacuum; it has recalibrated the internal power dynamics of the ruling party. While the 45-year-old Bihar minister’s elevation is being hailed as a masterstroke in generational transition, it has simultaneously cast a shadow over the national trajectories of several heavyweights, most notably from Maharashtra. Nabin, a five-term MLA and a seasoned organisational hand, represents the “new guard” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have spent years cultivating. By choosing a leader from Bihar—a state where the BJP is looking to fill a leadership void as ally Nitish Kumar nears the twilight of his career—the high command has signaled that the path to the top is reserved for those under 55 with deep grassroots roots. However, this “Bihar first” strategy has created an unexpected bottleneck for Maharashtra’s most prominent national aspirants. Block Fadnavis Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has long been the subject of “Delhi-bound” rumours. Despite his public assertions that he will remain in Maharashtra until 2029, insiders suggest his national ambitions were a poorly kept secret. Nabin’s appointment complicates this path significantly. At 55, Fadnavis is ten years Nabin’s senior. With Nabin now positioned to transition into the full-time President role by early 2026, the organisational “Top Spot” is effectively occupied for the foreseeable future. For Fadnavis, entering the national arena now means competing in a space where the leadership has already signaled a preference for younger, non-entrenched faces. “The appointment of a 45-year-old sends a message that the party isn’t just looking for experience; it’s looking for a long political runway,” noted a senior BJP strategist. Another senior BJP leader from Bihar highlighted the “Low Key” factor that might have helped Nabin in being elevated to the top slot. Another analyst said that the appointment of Nabin also suggests that the BJP leadership is unlikely to pay heed to the insistence from the RSS while devising the succession strategy within the party and in the government. This factor too goes against Fadnavis, the analyst feels. Waiting Game Another leader feeling the squeeze is BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde. Known as a prolific “troubleshooter” in Delhi, speculation was rife that a cabinet reshuffle would see Tawde move from the organisation to a ministerial post. Instead, the elevation of a younger leader to the Working Presidency suggests the “organisational refresh” may keep current secretaries in their administrative roles longer than anticipated. For Tawde, who successfully navigated from state-level sidelines to national relevance, the prospect of a high-profile cabinet berth now appears to be a “distant dream” in the current reshuffle cycle. The “Nabin Era” marks a departure from the traditional seniority-based hierarchy. Those hailing the feat as a masterstroke say that the BJP leadership has achieved multiple goals like neutralising factions and forced recalibration by promoting a leader who was not on the typical media “shortlist”. In Nabin’s appointment the BJP central leadership has bypassed the traditional power centers of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and pushed leaders like Fadnavis and Tawde to double down on their current roles rather than looking toward the capital, they say. As the party prepares for its plenary session in January 2026, the message to the rank and file is clear that the national arena is no longer a natural progression for state stalwarts, but a field of high-stakes, unpredictable selection.

Tuljapur Drugs Bust: Devotees shocked as ‘pujaris’ links emerge

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Mumbai/Dharashiv: In a sensational development that has stunned the police, pandits and devotees alike, the two-month old probe into the Tuljapur temple town drugs cartel has unearthed an alleged nexus of some priests-cum- politicians in the scam.


According to police sources, around a dozen temple priests may be linked with the illicit drugs supply racket that was busted on Feb 14, sending shivers in the establishment.


Dharashiv Superintendent of Police Sanjay Jadhav confirmed to the media about the possible involvement of some priests, but declined to name them or the exact number of those (priests) who may face the music.


“We shall investigate the (accused) based on the evidence available with us, irrespective of what position they hold,” Jadhav said diplomatically.

He added "it would not be proper to point fingers at the entire priesthood" in this famed pilgrimage spot with historical importance.

Jadhav said that of the 35 suspects identified so far, 14 have been arrested and a hunt is on to trace the remaining 21 with police teams fanning out in several districts.


Though the Dharashiv Police have refused to name anyone, officials claimed that at least a dozen priests of the Shree Tulja Bhavani Temple are likely to be implicated in the drug peddling case.

More interestingly, as the probe enters the eighth week, it has come to light that some of the accused, including a few priests, are connected with the major political parties in the state. Taking umbrage, the Palikar Priests Board President Vipin Shinde contended that “the priests accused in the drugs scam are not connected with the daily purja or worship of Goddess Tulja Bhavani”.


“We have raised our voice against the narcotics racketeering thriving in Tuljapur for the last three years,” Shinde said.


The sacred Temple

The Shree Tulja Bhavani Temple, Tuljapur – one of the 51 Shakti Peeths in India –was deeply revered by the founder of the Maratha Empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.


After the drug scam erupted in Feb. 2025, Dharashiv Guardian Minister Pratap Sarnaik had ordered the police to provide a detailed report on the drug expose matter within 72 hours, along with the names of the accused.


The Dharashiv Collector, Keerthi K. Pujar – who is also the Chairman of the temple trust – has sought the list of the priests purportedly accused in the drugs scam along with their political affiliations. This is billed as the first time in the state that a narco-peddling ring with political colours has been laid bare in a well-known pilgrimage centre, sparking concerns among the lakhs of pilgrims thronging there as well as the law-enforcers, say local bigwigs.

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