Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule was felicitated by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for being appointed the party's state unit president.

In a felicitation event in Nagpur, Gadkari said the BJP was a party of "karyakartas" (workers) who could reach the top with their hard work, and was not a unit where the son of the chief minister became chief minister, etc.

He added that it was not a crime to be the child of a leader but one would need to show qualities in order to get a post in the party. Praising Bawankule for his work as state energy minister in the earlier Devendra Fadnavis dispensation, Gadkari said the newly-appointed state unit chief did not get disappointed when he did not get a ticket to contest the 2019 Assembly polls.

He continued to work for the party and has, thus, been rewarded, Gadkari added. The Union minister said he wished Bawankule gets more promotions in the party but added in a lighter vein that this did not mean he wanted Bawankule to be CM.

"In that case, the media will twist my statement and say I am giving a message to Fadnavis. I want Fadnavis to be CM but if he progresses at the national level, then Bawankule may also get an opportunity," Gadkari said.

Fadnavis praised Bawankule for his hard work and said he would prove to be a very efficient state unit chief.

It is possible only in BJP that a ground karyakarta becomes a State President as a result of his hard work.I’m sure Chandrashekhar will strengthen the party further &will take @BJP4Maharashtra to newer heights of organisational development.Wishing him a very successful tenure! pic.twitter.com/ytzlltfjCl

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) August 13, 2022

"It is the specialty of the BJP that a common worker can reach the highest posts due to hard work and dedication," the Deputy Chief Minister said.

He also said the new government will work towards bringing the state back on track after the misrule of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.