The protesting workers alleged that local office-bearers, ward-level leaders and long-serving party workers have been consistently ignored in organisational matters, while key decisions and programmes are being conducted without adequate consultation with the local cadre.

According to the protesters, Vinod Shelar, brother of Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Ashish Shelar, has been functioning in an arbitrary manner and organising party events without taking local office-bearers into confidence. They claimed that workers who have dedicated years to strengthening the party at the grassroots level are not receiving due recognition or representation, leading to growing resentment within the organisation.

The controversy has gained further attention following a detailed letter reportedly sent to the state BJP leadership by Neelima Kadam, a ward president of the BJP’s Malad unit. In the letter, Kadam allegedly raised concerns over the repeated exclusion of local ward presidents, former corporators and committed party workers from programmes organised by Vinod Shelar.

The letter further states that such actions have adversely affected the morale of party workers and have resulted in the disregard of established organisational protocols. It also notes that dissatisfaction among local workers had reached a point where they felt compelled to publicly register their protest.

Kadam has reportedly urged the state leadership to intervene and restore coordination, discipline and respect for grassroots workers within the party structure.

During the demonstration, several workers said the BJP has historically been built on the efforts of its cadre and grassroots network. They argued that continued neglect of local workers could weaken the organisation and send the wrong message to party supporters and the public.

The protesters demanded that the party leadership conduct an impartial inquiry into the allegations and take appropriate steps to address the concerns raised by local workers.

There was no immediate response from Vinod Shelar regarding the allegations at the time of filing this report.