Amravati: In a swift shake-up signaling a power shift in the Amravati BJP, Maharashtra BJP president Ravindra Chavan has replaced both the City and District BJP presidents, days after the party’s win in Amravati Local Authorities Constituency.Pravin Pote-Patil, whose victory last week marked his third straight win in the constituency, consolidated his grip on the district unit. His loyalist Nitin Gudadhe Patil now heads the city BJP, replacing Dr Nitin Dhande. In the district unit, MLA Pratap Adsad takes over from Raviraj Deshmukh.Both outgoing presidents, Dhande and Deshmukh, are known to be close to BJP neta Navneet Rana. At a party rally two months ago at Sant Dnyaneshwar Sanskritik Bhavan, attended by guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Rana had publicly pressed for a party ticket for Dhande — while notably avoiding mention of Pote, even though he shared the dais.The long-running Pote-Rana rivalry is no secret in district BJP circles. Against that backdrop, timing of the reshuffle — coming immediately after Pote’s hat-trick victory — is being seen as a direct check on Rana’s influence in the local unit.Party insiders say the move sends a clear message about the state BJP leadership’s backing for Pote as the party’s dominant face in Amravati.
