BJP names Maha Dalit leader Sable as RS bypoll candidate

The BJP on Tuesday nominated its Scheduled Caste wing chief Amar Shankar Sable as the party’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha bypolls scheduled for March 20, even as the Election Commission of India scheduled the bypolls to the Assembly constituencies Tasagaon-Kavathe Mahankal in western Maharashtra and Bandra (East) in Mumbai for April 11.

The RS by-election has been necessitated by the death of senior Congress leader Murli Deora, who passed in November last year. Similarly, Tasagaon-Kavathe Mahankal and Bandra (East) Assembly constituencies are going bypolls on April 11, following the passing away of Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil of the NCP and Prakash Bala Sawant of the Shiv Sena respectively. 

Making an announcement about the nomination of Sable as the party’s candidate for the March 20 RS bypolls, Maharashtra BJP president Raosaheb Patil-Danve said: “Sable is BJP’s Dalit face in Maharashtra He is a good activist. His name was cleared by the party president Amit Shah”.

Given that there was an intense speculation in the State political ciercle that the BJP might nominate party’s senior leader Vinay Sahasrabuddhe as its RS bypoll candidate, Sable’s nomination came as a surprise.

However, Danve denied that Sable was a surprise choice. “This is not at all a surprise decision. The BJP parliamentary board discussed four to five names and finalised Sable as the party’s candidate for the RS bypoll ahead of others”. Denying that there was any resentment over Sable’s nomination, Danve said: “There is no resentment in any section of the party over Sable’s nomination. Our parliamentary board gives opportunity to candidates irrespective of their class or caste”.

Sable, who is a journalist-turned political activist, hails from Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune. A close confidant of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde, Sable was to contest from Pimpri constituency in the October 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls. However, he had opted out of the contest after the BJP allocated the Pimpri seat to its ally the Republican Party of India (Athavale group).