India, July 2 -- Former minister and four-time Dombivli MLA Ravindra Chavan was unanimously elected as the Maharashtra state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday, replacing Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule in a key leadership shift ahead of crucial municipal elections.

The announcement was made by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is overseeing the BJP's organisational polls in Maharashtra as the party's central observer. Chavan's appointment as the 12th state BJP president comes at a critical juncture, with local body elections expected later this year.

A close confidant of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chavan had been serving as the working president of the state BJP since January. Despite his previous ...