Row erupts after history-sheeter’s wife made office-bearer in Indore BJP:Party revoked ticket within 16 hours during civic polls; Khati community defaces posters in protest

The BJP’s new Indore city executive, announced nine months after the appointment of city president Sumit Mishra, has triggered a major controversy. The inclusion of Swati Kashid, wife of alleged gangster Yuvraj Kashid alias Yuvraj Ustad, as secretary has drawn criticism and outrage. Adding to the unrest, members of the Khati community staged a protest at the BJP office, accusing the leadership of ignoring their community and supporters of former Rau MLA Jitu Jirati. Demonstrators smeared black ink on the city president’s nameplate, gate, and posters, demanding Swati Kashid’s removal from the post. New team announced after 9 months City president Sumit Mishra announced the new 33-member executive committee on Tuesday, comprising 8 vice presidents, 3 general secretaries, and 8 secretaries. Swati’s past controversy resurfaces Swati Kashid was earlier fielded as a BJP councillor candidate from Ward 56 during the municipal elections. Her ticket was withdrawn within 16 hours after reports confirmed that her husband, Yuvraj Ustad, had a criminal background. The party replaced her with Gajanand Gawde. Yuvraj Ustad faces multiple serious cases, including murder, attempted murder, and extortion. He has been booked twice under the National Security Act (NSA) and is listed by the STF as part of an organised criminal gang. Protests outside BJP office Soon after the new committee’s announcement, members of the Khati community gathered outside the BJP office in Indore, shouting slogans against city president Sumit Mishra.Protesters reportedly chanted, “Sumit Mishra is a goon!” before smearing black ink on posters and tearing them down. Over 28 party workers resigned in protest. Khati community accuses party of bias Pawan Chaudhary, national vice president of the Khati community, accused the BJP of sidelining their leaders and targeting Jitu Jirati. “Eighty percent of our votes go to the BJP, yet our people are being ignored,” Chaudhary said, adding that the decision undermines the community’s long-standing support for the party. VD Sharma’s old warning on criminal links Former BJP state president V.D. Sharma had earlier reiterated the party’s zero-tolerance policy toward criminal backgrounds, saying, “The BJP does not give tickets even to family members of those with criminal records.” His old remark has resurfaced amid growing criticism over Swati Kashid’s inclusion in the team. Errors in executive list The released executive list contained several clerical errors, including the misspelling of state president Hemant Khandelwal’s name as “Hemant Khandelwa.” A number of Hindi spelling mistakes were also detected in the official document. Changes in key positions Contrary to BJP’s organisational guidelines discouraging frequent reshuffles, several positions were changed.Sachin Bansal replaced Gulab Singh Thakur as treasurer, while Vishal Yadav took over from Rishi Khanuja as office secretary. Dominance of senior leaders Despite only three general secretary posts being available, senior MLAs and leaders ensured their loyalists were accommodated.As a result, Ramesh Mendola, Malini Gaur, and Mahendra Hardia secured these positions for their associates, Sudhir Kolhe, Mahesh Kukreja, and Kailash Pipale, respectively. Vice President posts used for balance City president Sumit Mishra distributed vice president posts to balance multiple factions. The appointed names include Harpreet Singh Bakshi, Rakesh Sharma, Vasudev Patidar, Bharat Parakh, Bhupendra Kesari, Gautam Sharma, Dipendra Singh Solanki, and Dr. Deepti Hada. Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava’s choice, Bharat Parakh, had to settle for the vice president’s post instead of general secretary. 31 new faces, 9 from Golu Shukla’s area The new team features 31 new members, with nine office bearers hailing from assembly constituency-3, represented by MLA Golu Shukla. The names include Dipendra Singh Solanki, Kailash Pipale, Swati Kashid, Sachin Bansal, Vishal Yadav, Akash Garg (Ranu), Nitin Sharma, Ritesh Sharma, and Deepesh Pachauri. Other controversial names Apart from Swati Kashid, Dr. Deepti Hada, assistant dean of Index Dental College, is also under scrutiny. Party insiders allege that her inclusion was influenced by the college owner Dr. Bhadauria, to safeguard his institutional interests. Lalwani’s quota gets one ministerial post Kanchan Gidwani, a corporator and close aide of MP Shankar Lalwani, has been appointed as secretary in the city executive committee. Sources said Lalwani initially wanted her son, Vishal Gidwani, to be made vice president but later agreed to Kanchan’s inclusion instead. History of delays in BJP city team formation This is not the first time the city BJP has delayed forming its executive. Earlier, when Gaurav Randive was city president, his team took nearly two years to be announced. The delay then was attributed to internal rivalries and organisational programmes that stalled the process.