Mumbai Ahead of the BMC elections, one of the richest civic bodies in the country, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed Kripashankar Singh as the in-charge of the Maharashtra North Indian cell of the party.
Singh, a former state minister and chief of the Mumbai unit of Congress until he joined the BJP, is expected to play an active role to swing the north Indian votes in favour of the party.
Disgruntled over being sidelined after he and his family were embroiled in the controversy over disproportionate assets charges a few years ago, Singh quit Congress in September 2019 over the issue of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
He had openely expressed his dismay over the stand taken by the Congress leadership on the issue. He joined BJP in July 2021 and was made a vice president. Singh was apparently unhappy over the party’s decision of choosing Rajhans Singh, another Congress defector to join BJP, over him for legislative council seat in November last year. Singh’s appointment as in-charge of the north Indian cell is considered a move to pacify him.
“The post is not a significant one for a leader like him who had been the Mumbai unit chief of Congress for four years from 2008 to 2012, minister of state for home before that and a prominent north Indian face. He was unhappy to be sidelined from the party since he joined it last year. Singh still has the might to turn the north Indian vote bank which makes up to 18-20% of the Mumbai votes. The only question is if other north Indian leaders will allow him to work and grow within the party,” said a senior party leader, who is in the know of the developments.
Singh, about a decade ago, faced the charges of amassing disproportionate assets and money laundering. The investigations were done by enforcement directorate and economic offences wing of Mumbai police. Singh was latter discharged by a special court in Mumbai.
RU Singh, the convenor of the north Indians coordination committee of BJP, said that the party will benefit from the elevation. “BJP is the only political alternative before north Indian voters. Rajhans Singh’s nomination to the upper house, new responsibility given to Kripashankarji shows the respect BJP gives to the north Indians. More seats will be given to the north Indians in the forthcoming local body polls in Mumbai, Thane and other neighbhouring cities. Kripaji is a tall leader and I don’t think any post is insignificant for a leader who believes in his work,” he said.